Tenebrarum Reflexio
by CrimsonMagi94
Summary: A star falls from the sky one night, and with it comes the arrival of a stranger with a shockingly familiar face. For Ash, it's just the beginning of another, albeit weird, adventure, with the promise of exciting challenges and helping a new friend in need. But as the darkness deepens, the strange mystery he thought he had on his hands soon turns into something far more deadly.
1. Dread

So. Let's just say that this is the beginning of a lot of shit.

Basically what happened was, after re-watching old pokemon as well as some of the new and, of course, the absolutely gorgeous diamond that is Puella Magica, I found some very convoluted and twisted inspiration. And after enduring the nagging of a persistent little sister, who REALLY wants me to write this, I caved and it has now happened. Hopefully, this'll be the start of something great!

Or something really bad, depending on how this is received. :P

Note, this story will start around the Episode N arc of the seasons and will _not_ be going on to the Kalos arc (mostly because I have never seen it), so just know that that is where we stand. Other characters from previous seasons WILL appear, so don't think that this is solely a Unova thing. It's not. Also, as far as the Puella Magica timeline goes, it is before the universe gets a reset. Another note, this is not to be a crossover in the most typical of fashions. Read the chapter and you'll find out what I mean.

Also, updates will be relatively slow here, seeing as how I am working a lot on my other story, but do expect updates. They will happen, though sporadically!

Anyway, on to the story! Enjoy.

Obligatory Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Zip.

* * *

Dread

_Ruin. That was all that could be seen. Trees uprooted from their seedling homes, broken cars overturned and sitting idly, silently, with great clefts crisscrossing the shattered streets they rested on as if some great beast had raked its claws through them in its passing. Broken glass and wooden rubble littered the ground, byproducts of the homes that had once existed in this place, all having been torn away and blown apart into little more than scrap. Broken streetlights surveyed the carnage from overhead, all busted save for one lonely light at the end of the street that flickered on and off, on and off, on and off, until at last it flickered no more. Silence was the only sound there was, so acute it was deafening, and yet not a single soul dare disturb it. Was there even a soul still in this wretched and lonely place?_

_ And high, high above, hanging in a black and starless sky, was a full moon the color of blood, it's bloated frame seeming as if it were engorged on the fluid. Long, bloodstained shafts of light fell from it's surface, staining the ground a sickly, sticky red._

_ Suddenly, a figure, the first sign of life to be seen in this horrid place, darted in front of the moon, the moon's eerie red light framing them in shadow, making it impossible to tell who, or what, it was. Another form emerged from the shadows opposite, the distance and darkness making it impossible to see who it was, but none could miss the way the newcomer's form seemed to tremble and shake. Was it from laughter . . . or was it from tears? The first figure raised a hand, a long, spear-like object materializing into being over their head in a flash of azure light before whisking it forward, blade-first, towards the other. The other's trembling seemed to only intensify, though they uttered not a sound. Nevertheless, it called forth its own weapon, a scythe, in a blur of white, oily light. Then, on an unspoken cue, the two shot forward, and the harsh, ringing sound of clashing steel tore the silence to shreds._

Ash's eyes shot open and he sat up so quickly his head swam. Panting, his hand flew to his pounding heart, trying to calm down and just _breathe_. Dread curled his stomach in knots, making him feel sick, though why he felt that way he couldn't even begin to guess.

_Was it . . . a nightmare? _he thought. The nightmare he had had came back only in bits and pieces, fragments like any other nightmare, but that feeling of crippling anxiety, though it had faded, was something no nightmare, however scary, had ever caused him.

"Pikapi?" mewed a sleepy voice beside him.

Pulled from his whirling thoughts, Ash glanced down at the little yellow-furred mouse who was stretching by his side and relaxed. Seeing Pikachu by his side never failed to calm him down, and so, with gradually steadying nerves, spoke quietly, "Hey, did I wake you up buddy? Sorry."

Pikachu gave him a worried look, clearly sensing that his friend was troubled, "Pikapichu."

Ash shook his head, "Naw, I'm okay. Just had a-" Ash's breath was caught up in a yawn, and he realized how tired he still was, "just had a weird dream is all."

Running a hand over Pikachu's fur reassuringly, he took a quick look around and saw that he was still in camp, and judging from the other two still bundles nearby, it was a safe bet to assume that he hadn't woken anyone else up. But since the others were still sleeping . . .

"What time is it?" Ash wondered, glancing up at the sky as if it had the answer. It was still dark, though not as dark as a night should be. Early morning, perhaps? But since Cilan wasn't up, it couldn't have been that close to dawn yet.

"Pikapi?"

Ash looked back at Pikachu and smiled, wanting to berate himself for being so childishly afraid of a dream. Pokemon Masters weren't supposed to be scared of anything, let alone of a silly little nightmare!

"Let's go back to sleep, buddy. We gotta big day ahead of us," he whispered, feeling his eyes starting to droop again.

Pikachu chirped in agreement and quickly clambered back inside the warm confines of Ash's bedroll and to much needed sleep, while Ash glanced around the camp one last time before laying back and pulling the blankets back over himself, "Night buddy."

"Pi," was the muffled response, and Ash sleepily closed his eyes.

_What a weird dream, _he thought as he began to drift. But even on the verge sleep, he couldn't help but feel that faint sense of dread that he had woken up with, and no matter how hard he tried to ignore it, it would not disappear.

_. . . I can't sleep like this, _he thought abysmally, furrowing his eyebrows in discontent, _Maybe I should try counting Mareep._

And that was exactly when a huge, earth-shatteringly loud explosion split the night in half.

Ash jolted out of his semi-unconscious state and shot to his feet at once, heart pounding all over again. The camp was suddenly awash with pale light, the dark from before being completely banished in its glow.

"Where's all this light coming from?" heshouted, looking around frantically before finally turning his face towards the sky, and when he did, he nearly fell over in shock. Ash's jaw dropped and he didn't even feel Pikachu leap onto his shoulder, or hear the little mouse pokemon trying get his master's stupefied attention. He didn't even turn his head when Pikachu finally turned to see what had Ash so awestruck, only to exclaim, "Pika?!"

Above, it was almost like someone had set the sky on fire, the stars and moon lost in brilliant, nearly blinding light. Waves of cascading energy rolled across the sky like waves in a tumultuous ocean, spreading far, so far that Ash couldn't see where they ended.

"W-what's going on?!" Iris's frightened voice shouted nearby, having been just as startled awake by the deafening boom as Ash had been.

"Axew! Axew!"

"I don't know, but it's definitely not good!" Cilan shouted, eyes on the rolling sky just like the others.

Then Ash noticed something. The waves were all originating from a single point, like ripples across a pond that had just had its waters disturbed by an uncaringly tossed pebble. And from that point, Ash could see an orb of light descend from the sky and careen towards the planet below. Was that . . . a falling star?

"Guys, look!" he yelled, pointing towards the star.

Iris was the first to see it, "What is _that_?!"

Ash was the first to respond, "I have no idea, but whatever it is, it's what's causing all of this!"

And Cilan was the first to realize, "G-guys, it's _heading this way_!"

And he was right. With every passing moment, the star came closer and closer at astonishing speed. At it was heading straight towards them.

Horror curled in his stomach, "Everybody! RUN!"

Ash turned and bolted, making sure his friends were by his side as they all ran for cover. Axew was clinging desperately to Iris's wildly swinging hair and Cilan, being the least outdoorsy of their trio, was doing his best just to keep up with them.

The light behind them was growing stronger, warmer, _closer -_

"Hurry!" Iris yelled, feeling the heat on the back of her neck.

Their shadows looked like giants, nearly swallowing the path in front of them and so dark they could scarcely see where they where going despite the light burning behind them. Ash, knowing they couldn't outrun it, looked around desperately for a place they could take cover, any place at all, when a sudden, surprised yelp and a dull thud from behind had him skidding to a halt. _Oh no . . ._

"CILAN!" Iris shouted in alarm, already running back toward their fallen friend whose foot had been snagged by an unseen tree root. Ash started running too, the light from the approaching star digging into his eyes like daggers and making them water. Then, with growing horror, he realized why the light was so strong. The star was almost on top of them!

Rational thought fled, and Ash let instinct take over.

"Everybody GET DOWN!" Ash shouted, grabbing Pikachu and Iris by the waist and diving to the ground next to Cilan. Without thinking, Iris and Cilan did the only thing they could do and covered their heads as soon as Ash and Iris hit the dirt. And not a moment later did they feel the wave of heat and searing light hurtle over their heads, so close that it viciously pulled at their hair and clothing. The light was so brilliant it made their closed eyes water and the pounding of their hearts was lost in the furious roar of its passing.

The sound of the explosion and snapping, shattering bark assaulted their ears, the ground shaking tremendously as the star landed. A fine film of warm, upturned earth sprayed into the air, showering all of them with a coat of rocky grit and dust. It wasn't until after the noise had died down and the piercing light had faded away that any of them dare lift their heads from their arms.

"Is . . . is it over?" Iris asked, trembling in the wake of her adrenaline. Axew, who had taken refuge in her hair, tentatively pushed his nose out from his hiding place, the little dragon pokemon looking around nervously, "Ax . . ."

"I-I think so," Cilan said, though he didn't sound entirely sure.

Ash, however, couldn't help but feel excited, and knowing that everyone was okay, didn't hesitate to make his feelings known, "Come on, lets check it out!"

The other two shot him disbelieving looks, but Iris was the one to vocalize, "Ash are you nuts?! That . . . _thing_, almost killed us!"

Ash was not to be deterred, "But don't you guys want to know what _it_ even is? I sure do! It could be a meteorite or U.F.O, or maybe even an undiscovered pokemon! What about you buddy? "

Pikachu looked into his trainer's enthusiastic eyes and sheepishly rubbed the back of his furry head with his paw, "Pikapi . . ."

"See, Pikachu wants to go!" Ash said, looking at Iris.

He didn't give them a chance to protest, as he was already up and running toward the star/meteorite/U.F.O/pokemon with gusto in his step.

"Ash, _wait_!" Iris cried, but Ash wasn't listening, as usual. Growling, she muttered, "Ugh, I swear, he is such a little kid!"

Cilan bowed his head, "This is all a little too early in the morning for even my detective skills to handle."

Iris just huffed before grabbing Cilan by his sleeve and hauling him after her, "Come on!"

With the unnatural light from before gone, the dark had once again returned, the sky starless save a few brave specks that continued to glitter in the wake of the coming dawn. Ash often found himself stumbling, and diffidently noted that he was still only in his pajamas.

_I really should have gone back for my shoes, _he thought dismally after hitting his bare foot once again against an unseen stone, _How far away did this thing land?_

On the horizon, the faint, orange glow of the returning sun began to grow stronger, and as Ash walked, following the line of broken and, in some cases, smoldering trees, the sun finally broke over the mountains, offering a few frail orange rays to light the way, much to his relief. But as Ash drew closer to the mysterious star that had fallen from the sky, Ash started to slow down. Again, the dread he felt after his nightmare was returning, and every step he took that brought him closer to the star only increased that dread.

But Ash was growing tired of that feeling, and he was nothing if not stubborn, so he swallowed down his anxiety and continued marching.

_It was because of the star, _he told himself, _that's all. You had a nightmare and then you had to run for your life, and it's messing with your nerves._

But when he finally crossed the last set of burnt, broken trees, he couldn't help but stop altogether. Beyond, a large crater smoldered before him, the dirt still warm from the crash, the rim surrounded by a ring of scorched trees. The crater, at its deepest, couldn't have been any deeper than maybe five feet, but the surrounding shadows made it seem even deeper.

"Whoa . . ." he said, looking at the scene of ruin in front of him.

_Ruin. That was all that could be seen. Trees uprooted from their seedling homes, broken cars -_

Ash mentally slapped himself, _stop thinking about that! _

Beside him, Pikachu, peered at his surroundings cautiously, warily. His ears twitched, listening, only to find silence. His fur tingled unpleasantly, a sign that always told him something was off. Something was _wrong_ with this scene, aside from the obvious, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly what. The mouse pokemon glanced at the crater's heart and stiffened, exclaiming, "Pika!"

Ash jumped at Pikachu's sudden exclamation, having been so intent on examining the scene he had almost forgotten he was there. Nevertheless, Ash knew that something was up, so he gave his full attention to the mouse, "What is it, Pikachu? Is something wrong?"

Leaping down from his shoulder, Pikachu crept toward the edge and pointed down, "Pikachu!"

Ash looked down to where Pikachu pointed, down to the heart of the crater, eyes narrow as he tried to pick apart the shadows and the debris. And when he finally did so, he gasped. Something was there, something covered in dirt and chips of wood, something that wasn't just a burnt tree or an overturned rock.

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted, and starting making his way down to the heart.

"Hey, Pikachu, wait up!" With a new sense of urgency in his steps, Ash hurriedly made his way towards the center, excitement pushing down the dread he had felt earlier.

"ASH!" he paused once to look back toward the rim of the crater and saw that Iris and Cilan had caught up with him, Iris looking angry and Cilan looking worried. Smiling reassuringly, he gave them a wave to come on over before he carried on walking.

When he got to the center, he stopped and stared. The figure at its heart didn't look like a meteorite or U.F.O _or_ a pokemon. In fact, it almost looked like . . .

It almost looked like . . .

"A person?" Ash whispered, drawing closer to the body lying motionless in the dirt. The person was covered in dirt and lying face down, and from what he could see, their clothes were torn and shredded, their feet bare. What were they doing here?

Slowly, cautiously, he crept over and knelt by the motionless body. Seeing that they did not stir, Ash carefully reached out a hand and-

"Ash!" The shout came from right behind him and he started, "AH!"

"Ash, what's going on down here?" Cilan inquired, looking in concern at the body lying on the ground.

"I . . ." Ash turned back toward the body, and Iris finally noticed what everyone was staring at.

"Oh my gosh, is that a _person_?" she asked, forgetting her anger and dropping to her knees beside Ash, worry in her eyes.

"Who is he? Did he get hit by the star?" Cilan asked, coming to kneel next to them.

Ash bit his lip, not sure who the person was or how they got there, but he knew without a doubt that he had to help, "I don't know but . . . they need help."

Pikachu, as his trainer and his friends talked, cautiously crept to the other side of the stranger to get a better look. The person smelled of smoke and earth, not too terribly unpleasant a smell by themselves, but there was something underneath it, something . . . metallic, and Pikachu wanted to know what it was. Once on the other side, he went to curiously examine the stranger's face, moving slowly so as not to startle the person should they suddenly wake up. Then the mouse pokemon paused, blinking, staring at the stranger's dirtied face. That couldn't be right . . .

Ears now pricked up in unease, Pikachu crept even closer and carefully brushed some of the mangy black hair away from the human's face. What he saw made him freeze, "Pi-Pika?!"

All eyes went toward Pikachu, who was now frozen in shock and surprise. Ash and the others quickly turned their eyes toward the body Pikachu was standing in front of, and found their own movement stilling.

The person was moving, limbs tensing and relaxing as the stranger's consciousness slowly began to return. The person pressed their palms against the dirt floor and, after some strain, pushed themselves to their knees, dirt crumbling off of their sullied clothes. Back facing them, the person made to stand, rising on trembling legs. For a few unsteady moments, they held it, when suddenly their legs gave out and they went toppling to the floor.

Ash shot up and caught the stranger around their midsection before they could hit the ground, the other two behind him gasping in alarm.

Gently setting them back on their knees and keeping a steadying hand on the person's shoulders, Ash took a moment to examine the other in front of him. Though they may have been covered in dirt and grime and their clothes were damaged beyond recognition, the physique was a dead give-away. The person was definitely male. His hair was black, though it was a bit difficult to tell what with how filthy and unkempt it was. Through the layer of dirt that coated the boy's clothes and body, Ash could see pale skin. Very pale skin, too pale to be considered healthy, which made Ash a little worried. His left arm hung limply by his side, fingers lazily brushing against the dirt. But his other hand, Ash noticed, was clenched into a tight fist on his lap, as if he were holding something. The boy's chin rested languidly against his chest, the shadows of the early morning coupled with his tousled black hair obscuring much of his face, and he slumped heavily against Ash, as if simply standing had leeched away whatever strength he had left.

_He's freezing, _Ash realized with a jolt. The boy's skin was like ice, the cold seeping through his wrecked clothes. Yet the boy wasn't even trembling. Did he even feel how cold he was?

Ash spoke softly, trying not to frighten the clearly dazed individual, "Hey, you shouldn't be moving around like that yet, okay."

His friends quickly gathered around him, worried for the stranger and discomforted by his silence, but trying to appear non-threatening.

"Yeah, not until we can get you to a hospital," Cilan said, scooting closer.

"I know you must be a little confused right now, but we'll help you, don't worry," Iris pitched in, offering a smile.

"Axew, ax!" Axew piped in.

Ash made to wrap the stranger's arm around his shoulders and help him to his feet when he paused, eyes straying over the boy's shoulder to the floor, "Hey, what's wrong Pikachu?"

The mouse pokemon had not moved an inch in all the time they had spoken, was still frozen in place and staring in absolute disbelief and alarm at the unknown boy's face.

"Pikachu, what is it?" Ash asked in growing alarm, trying to coax his friend out of whatever stupor he was in.

The boy, previously listless, suddenly stirred, as if the sound of their voices had finally roused him. Slowly, stiffly, as if his neck was tied in an uncomfortable brace, the boy lifted his head and faced them.

And every jaw present hit the floor.

Glassy brown eyes, disoriented and lightless, gazed at them tiredly, black, dirt-covered bangs casting a dark shadow over them, making them look even more hollow and detached. But more disturbing than that empty look, more shocking than any thunderbolt, was the boy's pale, dirt-smeared face. Ash felt his heart race, the dread he had felt before returning tenfold. He stared, unbelieving, stunned beyond words, because the boy sitting in front of him, the boy whose shoulder his hand currently rested on, was a boy who looked exactly like -

"Me?" Ash breathed.

* * *

Aaaaand yeah. The beginning of a lot of shit. :x

And I know, this is a really short chapter.

Rate and Review, if it pleases you. :)


	2. Hello, Myself

So, first real chapter. Huzzah! I went through a lot of revising on this thing, because I am incredibly paranoid when it comes to writing scenery characters that aren't my own. Have to be in-character, you see, otherwise I might as well be writing my own novel. :)

And no-one likes O.O.C characters outside of crackfics.

Anyway, enjoy. :)

(P.S) - I still don't own anything. Zip.

* * *

Hello, Myself

For a brief moment, Ash thought he was still dreaming. After all, how could someone who looked exactly like him be sitting not even a foot away, whose eerily similar eyes still bore into his own. How could that even be _possible, _unless it was a dream?

"Oh my gosh," Iris shocked whisper brought him back to the real world, but the return only cemented the shocking truth that he was _not_ dreaming. This was happening. This was _real_.

"W-what in the world . . .?" Cilan murmured in disbelief.

"Who . . . h-how . . .?" were the only words Ash was able to stutter as he scrambled to get a hold of his thoughts.

Ash's strange look-alike made no attempt to answer. He didn't even seem to register that Ash was even there.

"U-uh . . ." Ash fumbled, trying to find something, anything, to say to break the stifling apprehension that had fallen over the field.

Then, without warning, the boy suddenly pitched forward.

"Whoa!" Ash yelled, catching him before he hit the ground, "H-hey, are you okay?"

The boy did not respond. Whatever strength he had had left had finally been expended, and the only thing Ash could think to do was gently lay him on the ground. Cilan, breaking out of his stupefied trance, crept closer and pressed a hand against the boy's head. He frowned, "He's freezing."

"Yeah I know," Ash murmured, eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the unconscious boy.

Iris shuffled awkwardly, folding her hands together in apprehension, "U-um, I know this is probably a bad time to bring this up, but I'm not the only one whose _really_ freaking out over the fact that there are _two_ Ashs, right?"

_No, you're not, _Ash thought. If anything, he felt the most freaked out of all. But right now he knew that freaking out wasn't going to help anyone, "It doesn't matter right now."

"It doesn't _matter_?!" Iris practically shouted, giving Ash a look of complete disbelief, "How can that not _matter_?"

"Iris," Cilan said softly, "Trust me, we all want answers. But right now this boy needs help. I think we can all wait until he can stand on his own two feet at least, don't you think?"

Iris opened her mouth as if to argue, but paused. Taking a breath, she shook her head and smacked her cheeks before exhaling slowly, "You're right."

Pushing down her nervousness, she crept closer to get a better look, "He doesn't look like he has any injuries, which is good. Still, I don't think any of the medicine we have will be good enough. I think its best if we get him to a hospital."

Ash nodded, "Good idea. Cilan, is there one that's close to here?"

Cilan looked grim, "Not for a few days time, unfortunately. There is a Pokemon Center that's closer, so maybe we should stop there?"

"Well, it's better than nothing," Ash said resolutely, "I'll carry him, if I have to."

His friends couldn't help but smile at his determination. It never seemed to matter what was going on, or matter how absurd or strange the situation was. If someone needed help, Ash was always going to help them. It was something that both Iris and Cilan had come to respect and appreciate over the course of their travels.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu's sudden cry alerted them all.

Ash sharply turned his head toward Pikachu, "What's wrong buddy?"

Pikachu, who had shaken off the shock of seeing two of his trainer in the same place, was poking at the boy's right hand with urgency, and it didn't take long for Ash to see why. The boy's hand, the same one that had been clenched into a fist, had fallen open when the boy had fallen unconscious. And in between the cracks of his now slack fingers, a strange, eerie blue light glowed from within.

"What is that?" Ash murmured, leaning over the unconscious boy to get a better look. He couldn't see much aside from the glow, as the boy's hand still covered whatever was causing it, but whatever _it_ was, Ash couldn't help but feel drawn to its light. One thing was certain right then; he needed to know what it was. Swallowing nervously, Ash tentatively reached out to gently pry the boy's fingers open, when a firm hand clasped down on his wrist and stopped him.

"Hang on Ash, I don't think that's a good idea," Cilan said, looking wary as he removed his hand.

"Yeah, you can't just go touching weird glowy things, especially not after everything that just happened," Iris reproached, but underneath the annoyance was worry, and even a slight touch of fear.

Ash shook his head, "Don't worry guys, I'll be fine."

Iris rolled her eyes, "And how do you know that?"

"I just do. Trust me on this one, Iris," Ash said, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Ash, are you sure? This could be very dangerous," Cilan warned, wanting to trust his friend but at the same time wanting to voice his feelings on the issue at hand.

"Pika pika. Pikachu," Pikachu chimed in, looking anxious.

"Course I'm sure. Don't worry guys, it'll be fine," Ash said, his tone encouraging.

Both still looked unsure, but he wasn't going to wait. Best to get it done sooner rather than later, right? He reached for the light again, but this time he tamped down any nervousness he had to ease his friends worries. With careful movements, Ash gently pried the boy's fingers open, the light growing just a touch brighter as the hand that covered it slipped away and revealed what lay underneath. Ash unintentionally let out a soft gasp.

"What? What is it?" Iris asked, growing alarmed.

"It's . . ." He started, but he couldn't find any words to describe it. So instead, he carefully picked it up and held it out for the others to see. There, resting in his open palm, sat a beautiful and intricately crafted gem. The gem itself was the size of a large marble, though its shape was more akin to that of an egg, but even for its relatively small size it felt heavy in Ash's hand. It was the most gorgeous shade of royal blue, the same color as the glow, and it pulsated with energy, warmth and light. The gem was cradled in an elaborately carved golden girdle that served as both decoration and a stand, and only accentuated its unearthly beauty even more. Carved at the center of girdle, just below the jewel, was the small image of a eight pointed star, each sharp point at a perfectly equal distance from the other. A small pin was adorned on the very top, the symbol of an enclosed circle engraved onto its golden surface.

"Wow," Iris breathed, awed.

"Ax," was Axew's equally dazzled response.

"What is it?" Cilan asked, examining the strange jewel curiously.

"No idea." Ash admitted, "But we can save it for later. Right now let's get back to the camp."

"Good idea," Cilan said before turning to Iris, "Iris, could you go on ahead and get some medicine ready?"

Iris nodded in affirmation, "Sure I can. Will you guys be okay by yourselves out here?"

"We'll be fine," Cilan assured her. With that reassurance, Iris stood up, casting one last glance at the silent, unmoving body before darting back into the forest, back towards camp. Suddenly remembering something, she dug her heels into the ground and looked back, cupping her hands over her mouth, "Oh yeah! Ash, we went and got your shoes for you! Use 'em!"

Then she turned and vanished into the woods beyond.

"Oh, that' right," Cilan mused, "In all the excitement I completely forgot about that."

Ash watched as he slung the backpack he had been carrying to the ground, pulling it open and pulling out the sneakers Ash had (unwisely) left behind, "Here you go."

"Thanks Cilan," Ash said appreciatively, wasting no time in pulling them on. Feet now safe from any malicious rocks and the strange jewel stored safely in his pocket, he turned back to the unconscious boy on the floor.

Ash frowned, "Hey, could you help me get him on my back?"

"Sure," Cilan said.

It was a bit of a struggle, but once the boy had been securely placed on his back, Ash stood up, albeit shakily.

_Man, he's heavy, _Ash thought, then grimaced at the implications, _Does that mean I'm heavy?_

"Come on, let's get back. I'm sure Iris is wondering what's taking us so long," Cilan said, pulling the backpack over his shoulders.

"Yeah. Come on Pikachu," Ash said to the mouse pokemon, who was still casting wary looks around the area. His ears pricked up at his master's call and he turned to him, "Pika."

Ash smiled at him, "Don't worry buddy. We'll figure this out."

Pikachu seemed hesitant, but he trusted Ash above all others, so he pushed his concern away and followed. The shadows had receded as the healthy yellow glow of true sunlight began to twine itself through the trees and spread along the forest floor. The fires had dissipated and the smoke had cleared, while the twittering of bird pokemon and their lesser kin began to hum throughout the clearing again. On the whole, the place looked decidedly less ominous than it had before. But even with the quiet serenity slowly stealing over the scene, Pikachu couldn't help but feel uneasy. That sense of wrongness from before hadn't quite disappeared, and it made his fur crawl. So, before he stepped past the ashen ring of the crater and into the forest beyond, Pikachu took one last look at the clearing behind him, examining it slowly, critically.

Nothing.

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled as he became aware of his pokemon friend lagging behind.

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted. With one last departing glance, he turned and followed his friend back toward the camp.

On the other side of the crater, the shadows shifted.

* * *

"So what should we do now?" Iris asked, shoving her dirtied pajamas into her backpack. The sun had risen higher now, and the air was noticeably warmer than it had been before. If not for their . . . odd circumstances, it would have been shaping up to be a very pleasant day.

"Well, I think it would be in our best interest to head to the Pokemon Center near here," Cilan said as he browsed through the map.

Ash wasn't really listening. His attention was on the strange jewel that his . . . doppelganger? Clone? . . . had been holding. It fit snugly in the palm of his hand, and had not lost any of its shine. The colors within seem to move of their own accord, as if they were alive and had a will of their own. Something that, for Ash, was equal parts disturbing and _really_ cool.

_What was he doing with it? _Ash wondered, turning it over and over again as if it held the answer. Whatever it was, it was clearly something special and was very important to the unconscious boy.

Speaking of . . .

Ash looked to his left to where the stranger was currently resting in Ash's bedroll. He hadn't stirred once in all the time they had taken to get back to camp and get him situated, and it didn't look like that was going to change anytime soon. They had cleaned him up a bit as well, brushing away any excess dirt so he wasn't completely plastered in it. For the most part he slept soundly, which, according to Iris, was good. The more rest, the better, she had said. Iris's medicine had also done its part in no small way, restoring color to his skin and helping to ease his quickened breathing, and all in all, he looked much better now compared to when they had first found him. But still, it would be good to get to the Pokemon Center.

"Pikapi," Ash glanced at his lap, where Pikachu had taken up residence. Smiling softly, he gently scratched behind the pokemon's long ears in a soothing manner to ease his fears. They may not have known the stranger long, but it was clear to Ash that Pikachu was worried about him.

"Don't worry bud, everything'll be fine, you'll see," he said encouragingly.

"Chu," Pikachu purred, lapping up the attention.

"It's only a question of how we're going to get there," Cilan finished, neatly folding the map and placing it in his pack.

". . . huh?" Ash asked, looking up.

"And you weren't even listening . . ." Cilan sighed, head falling comically to his chest.

Iris sighed at her friend's behavior before turning to Ash to explain, "Basically he said that we can get to the Pokemon Center using the road that's close to here, he's just wondering how we're going to get there," She paused for a moment, then tucked her fingers under her chin in contemplation, "That's actually a really good question."

"Well, I can just carry him," Ash said, raising an eyebrow at his friend's confusion over the obvious solution.

"While we admire your determination, Ash," Cilan interjected, "The Pokemon Center is some still some distance away, and I don't think even you want to walk that far while carrying someone."

"Hey I got it!" Iris suddenly exclaimed, punching her fist into her hand, "Why don't we use one of our pokemon, like Dragonite or Charizard?"

"That's also not a good idea. I mean, what if he wakes up during the flight and panics," Cilan said, frowning.

Iris previous excitement wilted, "I didn't think of that."

All of them lowered there heads, a synchronized 'hmm' passing between them as they thought.

Pikachu looked between his master and his friends, wishing he could be of more help in a situation like this. Unfortunately, there was only so much a small pokemon like him could do. As they talked, his eyes strayed back to the body of the stranger of their own accord, which certainly wouldn't be the first time. How could they not? It was like looking at a living, breathing mirror image of his trainer, from his black hair to his face to even his brown eyes.

Brown eyes . . .

Pikachu's ears shot up and he let out the pikachu equivalent to a gasp when he realized he wasn't seeing things. Not at all.

"Pikapi!" he cried to get his master's attention, which was granted immediately.

"What's wrong Pikachu?" Ash asked, looking down at the pokemon in his arms.

Pikachu pointed, "Pikapi!"

Ash looked to where Pikachu pointed and felt a thrill of shock run up his spine, and beside him his friends gasped. The stranger was awake. Awake and staring at them.

Ash sat frozen, his brain drawing a blank on what to do. What _should_ he do? Clearly the stranger wasn't going to be making the first move, so it was going to have to be one of them. But how do you approach someone you had never met before and who looked exactly like you? It was a question that weighed heavily on his mind, and no doubt the others minds too, even if the situation was probably a tad less weirder for them.

Surprisingly, it was Iris who came to the rescue. Pushing down her nervousness, she shifted just a bit closer, which instantly drew the stranger's attention to her. For just a moment her limbs froze up, a tiny 'eek' escaping her lips as his eyes turned to her. But she recovered quickly and, after taking a calming breath to ease herself, she spoke, voice soft, "H-hey, I'm glad to see you're awake. Are you feeling a bit better now?"

The stranger, still laying down, awkwardly tilted his head at her question, as if he didn't understand her. But it seemed to stir him from his previous lethargy, as he shifted and quite suddenly sat up, which made Ash stand up in alarm, "Whoa, hold on a sec, don't you remember what happened the last time you tried to do that?"

The stranger looked at him this time, still not speaking, but from what Ash could tell he seemed to be doing just fine, not shaking or breathing heavily like he did before. In fact, he seemed . . . relaxed? Ash could only hope that was a good thing.

The stranger, seeming at ease with their presence, took the time to look at his surroundings inquisitively. Ash watched as he went to fold his hands together, only to raise an eyebrow when the stranger stopped just a hair's breadth from doing so. He spread them open and held them up, staring at them as if they were some strange alien appendage rather than normal human hands. But Ash's curiosity over the odd behavior quickly changed to worry when the boy dropped them and started to frantically paw at his clothes and through the sheets, an obvious state of panic beginning to seep into his demeanor.

"He's looking for something," Cilan said, watching the display intensely.

Iris gasped and whispered hurriedly, "Ash, the gem. Give him the gem!"

Ash started in realization.

_Duh! _he berated himself as tore open his pocket, pulling the gem out into the open and holding it out to the panicked boy, "H-hey, is this what your looking for?"

The words had scarcely left his mouth when a hand shot out and violently snatched the gem away from him. The boy folded both his hands over the gem and held it close to his chest, as if he was afraid they would take it from him again. Ash blinked, drawing his hand away slowly.

"U-um . . ." he trailed off. What should he say?

_Introduction. Try an introduction! _"A-anyway, my name's Ash."

He nodded his head toward Pikachu, who's eyes were still locked on the stranger, "This here is my partner Pikachu."

Pikachu's ears twitched and he glanced up at Ash inquiringly. Ash cleared his throat, and when Pikachu caught on to what his partner was trying to do, he placed a self-conscious paw on the back of his head and stuttered "Pi-Pikachu!"

"I'm Iris," Iris pitched in quickly, scooting forward just a bit more, albeit cautiously. She cradled Axew to her chest, "And this is Axew."

Axew blushed, somewhat embarrassed to be in the spotlight, "A-Axew!"

Cilan stepped forward, keeping a calm and collected smile on his face as he introduced himself, "And I'm Cilan. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The strange boy shot them a sideways glance but said nothing, and the brief attention he did give quickly strayed away from them and back to the gem that sat cradled in his hands. The bright glow from the jewel cast the boy's face in a pallid blue light, banishing the shadows and adding an almost mystical aura to him.

The boy's focus was intent and he paid them no mind whosoever, and after some time Ash decided that it might be a good idea to try and explain why exactly they had had his gem in the first place, "Hey, we were going to give that back to you, ya know? We were just holding on to it until you woke up."

The boy wasn't listening, instead carefully placing the gem on his left palm and holding it up to stare at it intensely. Ash looked from the gem to the boy and back to the gem, curiosity growing. Ash was about to ask him what he was doing when suddenly the gem shone brighter than before, and Ash and his friends watched in sheer amazement as it's entire figure became encased in light. The gem lost all trace of it's solidity, becoming only a vague silhouette of translucent blue light that had no real tangibility or form. It flared out once and then lost its shape entirely, the newly glowing threads winding neatly around the boy's finger. The light gradually faded, and when Ash looked, he saw that in its place was a ring of solid gold. From where he sat, Ash could faintly see small archaic letters written along the underside of the band, though Ash couldn't understand what they said. The boy held up his hand and examined the newly formed ring with a look of ease, and the blue gem crowning its center glinted in the morning sunlight.

"Wow/Ax . . ." Iris and Axew said in tandem, eyes wide and full of astonishment. Cilan could only nod his head in agreement, too baffled to come up with any proper response.

"Pika . . ." Pikachu murmured, amazed.

"How'd you . . . how'd you do that?" Ash asked, staring at the ring in wonder.

This time the boy actually gave him a response in the form of a noncommittal shrug. Which wasn't very helpful, but at least he wasn't ignoring them anymore.

"You mean . . . you don't know how you did it?" Ash asked, looking for clarification.

He shook his head, but still refused to speak. Ash felt a slight tinge of irritation, growing tired of the silent treatment. He was only trying to help him out, even though everything made absolutely _zero_ sense.

"Hey, come on, I'm just trying to help you," he grumbled, eyebrows furrowing together in annoyance, "Could you at least try and talk to me?"

The boy dropped his hand and stared at him, but still retained his infuriating silence. In his frustration, Ash failed to notice the faint glimmer of contemplation in the boy's eyes.

"Ash, I don't think that's going to help," Iris admonished him.

"He's probably still a little tired, Ash, so just give him some time, okay," Cilan reasoned, waving a placating hand at the irritated boy.

Ash bowed his head, lips pursed but realizing that he was being a little pushy, "Yeah, I know. Sorry."

_Grwwwl._

Eyebrows rose at the sudden and intrusive noise. Except for Iris, whose face went red as she wrapped her arms around her stomach, "Hehe, sorry. I guess I'm really hungry."

Other stomachs started to grumble in response, and Ash sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "Oh yeah, we forgot about breakfast, didn't we?"

Another growl sounded off beside Ash, and he looked in time to see the boy place a hand over his own stomach.

"Ha, you must be pretty hungry too, huh?" Ash said, scratching the tip of his nose.

Cilan suddenly stood up, a familiar sparkle appearing in his eyes that made Iris wince, "Now, why all the long faces? It's never too late for breakfast! Never fear, Connoisseur Cilan is here!"

Iris face-palmed, "Can you just _make_ breakfast Cilan?"

"Must you always be so cold, Iris," Cilan face-faulted, looking abashed.

Ash let out an awkward chuckle when he turned back to the boy, "I know he's a little out there, but Cilan's a really good guy, honest."

"Satoshi."

Ash blinked, for a moment thinking he had heard things.

The other two stopped their arguing and turned towards the two boys, eyes wide.

"Ash, did you just . . ." Iris asked.

"No, I didn't," Ash responded, eyes still on the boy in front of him, "Was it . . . you?"

The boy looked at him, and spoke once more, "My name is . . . Satoshi."

"Satoshi?" Ash asked. The boy, Satoshi, nodded in affirmation.

He had spoken. Really spoken. Whether it was Ash's words that had spurred it or not, he didn't care. Instead, he smiled, and in typical Ash fashion, extended a hand in greeting, "Well, its nice to meet ya Satoshi!"

Satoshi sat and stared at the hand offered to him as if he were contemplating why it was there, but he made no move to take it. Ash frowned, and it didn't take very long to him figure out that maybe Satoshi still wasn't quite as comfortable with them as he thought, and after a few awkward moments of sitting there, hand outstretched, Ash finally dropped it, "Uh, nevermind, I guess."

In any case, knowing his name was good. Definitely good. But while one question may have been answered, Ash felt there was a hundred more that needed to be addressed. Starting with . . .

"Hey, Satoshi," Ash started, trying to work out how to phrase the question, "Who . . . who exactly are you? I mean, where are you from?"

Everyone sat up just a little straighter, all waiting attentively, eagerly, for his answer. But Satoshi gave none.

After a moment's silence and afraid that he'd lapsed back into his cold shoulder routine, Ash leaned forward, "Hey-"

"I don't know."

"Huh?" Ash's puzzled question was echoed by everyone around him.

Satoshi placed two fingers against his temple, a look of consternation on his face as he repeated, "I don't know. I can't . . . remember."

"Really? Nothing at all?" Cilan inquired.

Satoshi shook his head, looking morose.

Another bout of silence fell over the group. Satoshi only wore a mild frown, but even still it was enough for Ash to tell he was more upset with this new development than he let on.

_That must bite_, Ash thought. The answers he and his friends sought had eluded not only them, but also the only one who was capable of even answering them in the first place. That must have been frustrating.

But Ash had never liked it when people or pokemon looked upset, so as far as he was concerned, the answers could wait, "Hey, that's okay. I'm sure your memories will come back, you just have to give it a little time is all!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu mewed encouragingly, waving a tiny paw.

"Yeah, they'll come back for sure!" Iris chimed in, dropping to Satoshi' level, "In the meantime though, let's have some breakfast!"

"I'll go get started on it right away!" Cilan said cheerily.

While Cilan cooked breakfast, Ash watched Satoshi as he meandered around their campsite, awed at how quickly Satoshi's health had improved in the short amount of time he had been awake. Ash had lent him a spare change of clothes to substitute for the damaged ones he had worn previously, and it really did make all the difference between someone who looked healthy and fit to someone who looked like they were on death's door. And if Satoshi had looked astonishingly like him before, there was almost no telling the difference now. In fact, the only way his friends could tell them apart was by the hat Ash still wore, as there was only one of those and Ash wasn't exactly keen on the idea of giving it up.

"Maybe he's like a parallel you from another world," Iris suggested from where she sat. She sat up a little straighter, "Or maybe he's really your cosmic twin!"

"I don't think so, Iris," Ash responded for what felt like the millionth time. She had been at this for quite awhile now, coming up with all sorts of different theories to explain Satoshi's sudden appearance. Satoshi himself didn't have much to say on any of them though, which only spurred Iris to try harder. Ash, for his part, would continuously find himself glancing at the golden ring on Satoshi's finger, still in wonder over what it could possibly be. How had Satoshi done that? He couldn't do anything like that, could he?

. . . Could he? Ash swiftly got lost in his imagination, letting out a soft 'hmm' as he imagined himself turning things into other things of his choice with just a flick of his fingers. How useful and awesome would that be? Dealing with Team Rocket would be much, much easier, that was for sure.

"Pikachu is ours, twerp, and there's nothin' you can do about it!" the Rockets hollered in unison, the sky behind them red and full of ominous shadows.

"You wanna bet?" Ash retorted back, chin lifted in defiance and a confident sparkle in his eyes. With a wave of his hand, the Rocket's suddenly disappeared, and in their place were three harmless little flower pots, the petals the same color as the each of the trio's hair.

"AAAAH!" They cried, hopping away as fast as they could, "We're no match for the twerp! RUN AWAY!"

"And don't come back!" Ash shouted before turning back to his amazed and spellbound friends.

"Wow, that was amazing Ash!" Cilan awed, stars in his eyes.

"Yeah Ash, that was amazing!" Iris said, captivated.

"Pikachu/Axew!" Pikachu and Axew cheered happily.

"I know," Ash said, smiling smugly, soaking in the praise.

So awesome . . .

". . . Ash? Helloooooo?" Iris said, waving a hand in front of her spacing friend's face.

Ash blinked, his imagination bubble popping, "Huh?"

"Are you okay? Iris asked, "You kinda spaced out there for a second."

"Uh . . ." Ash faltered, trying to think of an explanation that didn't sound too weird. Thankfully, Cilan unknowingly came to his rescue.

"It's breakfast time!" Cilan announced blithely, adding one last dash of pepper to the eggs.

They had already set up the table and chairs, the plates and utensils arranged neatly and ready for service. An extra plate had also been laid out for their unexpected guest, who had already sat down some time ago to watch Cilan cook. One hand idly scratched behind Pikachu's ears, which the mouse was greatly enjoying. Out of everyone here, Satoshi seemed to get along with Pikachu the best, and surprisingly enough, Pikachu didn't seem to mind it all that much. Once Pikachu got over his initial suspicion, the mouse pokemon was greatly receptive to the boy's attentions, which Ash tried to ignore in favor of getting Satoshi to open up more.

"Smells good!" Ash commented as he walked over to his seat.

"Yeah, let's eat!" Iris said excitedly.

"Axew!" Axew chirped, looking forward to food.

"There's plenty for everyone, so don't be shy!" Cilan said, bringing over a steaming pan of something that smelled absolutely delicious.

Ash stopped just short of placing a hand on the chair and reached for his belt, "Hang on, let's not forget about our pokemon."

"Like I said, I made plenty for everyone," Cilan said, pokemon food already neatly laid out along a soft picnic blanket.

"Alright guys, come on out!" Ash shouted, tossing his pokeballs up into the air.

"Come on, breakfast time!" Iris yelled, throwing her own into the sky.

"Hey now, don't forget me!" Cilan said, throwing his own out into the air with flourish.

Each one seemed to hang suspended in the air before popping open, white light arcing from the open spheres and connecting to the ground. The lights began to take on solid and familiar shapes, which ended when the light burst out and faded to nothing.

"Oshawott!"

"Snivy."

"Pignite!"

"Krookodile."

"ROOOAAR!"

"Emolga!"

"Excadrill."

"Drag!"

"Pansage, Pan!"

"Crustle!"

"Stunfisk!"

Everyone was still a little bleary-eyed from sleep, but the smell of Cilan's cooking quickly perked them up. But Ash couldn't quite let them eat yet for obvious reasons, and judging from the expressions on his friends faces, they were thinking similar thoughts too.

"Hey guys," he said, getting everyone's attention, "I want you all to meet someone."

Everyone was immediately intrigued by Ash's declaration, some stepping forward to try and get a better look and others talking amongst themselves about this newcomer. Satoshi's eyebrows rose when Ash beckoned him to come over. After a moment of hesitation, he rose up out of his seat and stepped forward, his eyes shifted to the side and his left hand lightly gripping the corner of his right sleeve. Ash lifted an eyebrow at the behavior. It wasn't the nervousness in-and-of-itself that bothered him. After all, he'd met and known a number of shy people on his travels. But seeing _himself_ act so timidly was . . . weird. To say the least.

When Satoshi stepped into view, the reactions were immediate. Exclamations of shock rose up like a tidal wave from the crowd of bewildered pokemon, some who were frantically looking back and forth between Ash and Satoshi, such as Oshawott, while others managed to remain somewhat calmer, like Snivy. Some, like Charizard, were staring at Satoshi with blatant distrust, eyes gleaming.

"Hey, calm down guys!" Ash shouted over the loud calls of the other pokemon.

"I know it's a little confusing, but if you just calm down a bit, we'll explain," Cilan reasoned to calm the shocked crowd. It worked, the group quieting and settling down in order to hear the explanation as to why there were suddenly two Ashs.

Except one, "Osha, Osha, Oshawott!"

Oshawott was still in hysterics, running back and forth in confusion and panic.

"Hey, Oshawott, calm down!" Ash pleaded to no avail. The scallop pokemon was too in hysterics to even hear him.

Seeing that he wasn't going to be calming down on his own, Snivy decided to take matters into her own hands. Without moving an inch, she stealthily laid one of her vines in front of Oshawott's path, and Oshawott, in his panic, didn't see it until his ankle found it for him.

"OSHA!" he shouted as his face comically smacked against the dirt with a sharp _thwack_. Needless to say, he didn't feel too inclined to get back up again, "Osha . . ."

"Snivy," was Snivy's curt response, redrawing her vine.

"Thanks Snivy," Ash said in appreciation, to which Snivy gave a short nod of acknowledgment.

With that out of the way, Ash and the others quickly set to explaining the situation as concisely as they could. Satoshi remained quiet the whole time, but no one really expected him to try and explain something he couldn't recall, considering he'd been asleep for most of it.

"So you see, he doesn't actually know why he's here anymore than we do. I know it's not a lot to go on, but I know I can trust you to trust him, okay," Ash finished. To his relief, it seemed to calm everyone down, some even shyly stepping forward to greet Satoshi.

"Oshawott," Oshawott said, blushing from embarrassment and rubbing the back of his head.

Satoshi cocked his head to one side before going to his knees to be at a more even level with the little scallop pokemon, extending a hand in a way not too dissimilar from the way Ash had done not even fifteen minutes ago. For a moment, Oshawott blinked in confusion when it clicked what it was Satoshi wanted, and he happily accepted the hand in front of him with a cheerful, "Osha!"

Ash raised an eyebrow. Satoshi hadn't accepted the hand he'd offered before, but he seemed perfectly okay here. Was it just because of the fact that he looked like him? Or was it something else? But Ash would have to ponder it later. Right now, he needed food.

After everyone had gotten acquainted with Satoshi, barring the few who chose to keep their distance (Charizard mainly, despite Ash's pleas), they sat down and ate breakfast. It was a bit surprising how Satoshi hadn't seemed to realize just how hungry he had been until they ate, because as soon he took a bite, he couldn't seem to swallow the food fast enough. It was perhaps the most animated Ash had seen him since they met, but being the optimistic sort of person he was, he wanted to take it as a sign that Satoshi was starting to feel better.

"You know . . ." Iris muttered after watching Satoshi scarf down another piece of bacon, "You're supposed to breathe between bites."

"I think its good he's eating so much," Ash said absent-mindedly, stabbing a fork into the eggs on his plate.

Iris rolled her eyes, taunting, "You're just happy because you're not the only one who eats like a little kid here anymore."

"I'm not a little kid, Iris!" Ash shouted in protest, the insult getting under his skin, as usual.

"Now, now, settle down," Cilan said, waving the two down before things got out of hand and the food he'd made got destroyed.

Ash heatedly shoved some eggs into his mouth as the bickering quieted, but no more words were exchanged and breakfast carried on fairly peaceably. Or maybe the silence was brought about by the fact that it was a little awkward to have a conversation right then what with . . . well, Satoshi. After all, Ash was most definitely more interested in watching him than in talking then, despite the myriad questions still on his mind. But it wasn't like Satoshi could answer them anyway.

The sun was high in the sky by the time they finished, and Ash was feeling restless and eager to be on the move. The dishes were cleaned with haste and the rest of the camp was stowed away securely, everyone feeling the need to carry on.

As they packed, Ash kept thinking about Satoshi. They couldn't just leave him here, that was a given, but there wasn't exactly any place for him to go either. He wasn't even going to get into the fact that Satoshi probably wasn't even from their world to begin with. Really, Ash could only think of one course of action they could take, and that was to bring Satoshi with them.

And as luck would have it, he wasn't the only one to be thinking such thoughts, either.

"Hey, guys, what are we going to do about Satoshi?" Iris asked, looking disquieted as she zipped up her bag.

Ash decided it was a good time to throw out his idea, "I think he should come with us. I mean, it's not like he has anywhere else to go."

Cilan stepped forward, "I was actually thinking the same thing. Not only that, but I think the Professor might be our best bet at getting answers."

"You really think so? I'm not against him coming with us, but do you really think Professor Juniper will know anything about this?" Iris questioned incredulously.

"Well, it's our best option right now. I know it's a slim chance, but the only other person who can answer our questions is Satoshi, and, well . . ." Cilan trailed off, but nothing more needed to be said. The situation was outlandish and definitely not the sort of thing any of them were used to dealing with. But that didn't mean they couldn't feel sympathy for him. But Cilan wasn't the sort to let a conversation end on a depressing note, "Besides, I think this will add an interesting and unique flavor to our travels, don't you think?"

Iris smiled, "Well, it'll definitely be interesting, I'll give you that."

Relieved that he his friends were in agreement, Ash stood up, "I'll go talk to him."

Satoshi was sitting a little ways off, resting underneath the shade of a tree. A few of his pokemon were sitting around him as well, curious and inquisitive. From where Ash was, he could see that Satoshi looked quite relaxed, and the pokemon were doing a surprisingly good job at wheedling out a conversation from him, even if it was a little one-sided. It brought a proud smile to his lips. If there was something he couldn't do by himself, and there were things he couldn't do by himself, he knew he could always count on his pokemon to help him out.

It wasn't long until he was spotted.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu yelled, running up to him and leaping onto his shoulder.

"Hey, buddy," Ash greeted with a warm smile.

His other pokemon gave similar greetings, and Ash responded to each one in kind. Satoshi, however, remained silent.

"Hey, Satoshi?" Ash asked, trying to get his attention. The boy looked at him, but he still refrained from speaking.

_Well, here goes . . ._

"Satoshi, me and my friends are going to be heading out soon. We're traveling to a place called the White Ruins to meet up with a friend, and since . . . well, since you don't really have a place to go right now, we were wondering if you wanted to come with us," Ash said, "I mean, I know you're probably just as confused as we are, and we only met a couple of hours ago, but the thing is, we think the friend we're going to see can help you. He's a professor, you see, and if anyone can help us understand what's going on, it would be him. So what do ya say?"

Once again, Ash offered his hand.

". . ."

Satoshi didn't move or say a word. He almost looked . . . indecisive, unsure if he wanted to accept the hand in front of him, and Ash could only wonder why that was.

But his pokemon wouldn't leave him hanging.

"Osha, Oshawott!" Oshawott piped up, patting a hand against the scallop attached to his stomach.

"Krook," Krookodile said, nodding and folding his arms across his chest.

"Snivy," Snivy said, hands placed neatly on her hips.

"Pikachu," Pikachu finished, patting Ash on the shoulder.

Ash smiled, warmed that they would give Satoshi the encouragement he needed despite the strange circumstances around his appearance. He turned back to Satoshi, and held his arm out just a little further, "Looks like they all want you to come with us. So, want to go?"

Behind him, Iris and Cilan had come over as well, hanging back but crossing their fingers all the same.

Satoshi cast a long and quiet look at the ring of hopeful faces around him, but from it he seemed to find the resolve he needed to finally accept the hand in front of him. His hand was still slightly dirty, and his grip wasn't the strongest, but the freezing cold from before was gone, and in its place was a steadily growing warmth.

"Alright. I'll go with you."

* * *

Aaaand done! Decent length, I think. Rate and reviews, always welcome. ;)


	3. We're Friends, Okay?

So, chapter three.

This chapter is not going to have any real plot progression, as instead it's going to focus more on the characters interactions with Satoshi and vice versa. Building relationships, and all that jazz, because I felt it was better to give it its own chapter as opposed to a short little synopsis informing you of their progression. Yeah, story-telling!

Also, yes, Satoshi is a Magical Boy. Or girl, since I know that amuses some people. It's always been a head-canon of mine that all children have the potential to be chosen, since hormones and the sort aren't exactly exclusive, but that girls are just the more common selection because they're more willing to express their emotions. Also, the show was deconstructing the Magical _Girl_ genre, so boys would be completely unnecessary in the show.

Enjoy!

P.S - I own nothing.

* * *

We're Friends, Okay?

The Pokemon Center was quiet, the main hall empty save for the three children sitting on the couch at its center. The afternoon sunlight shone through the skylights in the ceiling, bouncing off the tiled floors and sunning the various potted plants dotted around the center, giving the place a warm and comforting atmosphere, despite the lack of people. They had arrived about an hour ago, and the Nurse Joy stationed at the check-in desk had been more than happy to take a quick look at Satoshi and their pokemon. It had been easy enough coming up with a cover story explaining Satoshi's appearance, passing him off as Ash's twin brother who had taken a nasty fall out of a tree. Once the nurse had taken Satoshi and their pokemon away, all they could do was sit down and wait.

As time dragged, Ash found himself continuously glancing at the double doors at the opposite end of the room, anxiously bouncing his right leg as he waited for them to open. He wasn't alone. Pikachu, who was sitting beside him, had his eyes and ears intensely locked on the door, not having moved since sitting down. Iris would sometimes subconsciously look up to stare at the doors as well, only to quickly snap her head back to the magazine in her lap as soon as she realized she was doing so, and while Cilan was a bit subtler, he would still occasionally peek over the edge of his book to look at them. The quiet in the center wasn't doing much to alleviate the subtle tension that hung in the air either, so it didn't come as a shock when someone tried to break it.

"So do you think our story will work?" Iris asked, eyes straying to the closed doors once more.

"It should so long as we don't run into anyone who would know it's a lie," Cilan said, placing the book he was holding on the table.

"Well, anyone like that would be back in Kanto, so we should be okay," Ash stated slowly, mentally going through the list of people he knew for certain would have been able to see through the ruse.

"I guess," Iris said after a moment. She folded the magazine shut, the pages never having had her interest anyway, before asking, "And what do you guys think about his . . . his ring?"

Cilan placed a finger under his chin, "Well, since we don't have any means of figuring out what it is on our own, I don't think we can really come to a solid conclusion. It's all speculation until Satoshi gets his memories back."

"I think it's awesome," Ash quipped.

Iris gave him a deadpan look, "Really Ash?"

"It is pretty fascinating, I must admit," Cilan said, closing his eyes and smiling.

Ash fell silent as Cilan and Iris began a familiar debate of 'magic vs. science' and which one was more likely, tuning them out as his eyes strayed back to the shiny metal doors that led deeper into the facility. His thoughts quickly wandered back to Satoshi, predictably, thinking back through the day as he went over everything that had transpired in his head. But mostly, his thoughts focused on Satoshi himself. It was eerie how quiet he had been on the long walk here. No matter what Ash had said or done, the boy simply would not talk to him. It might have been a bit easier to deal with had it been, he didn't know, _anyone else on the planet_, but instead it was . . . himself? Ash didn't even really know if he could call Satoshi that anymore. They were just . . . way too _different_ for that label to be accurate. And never in his life did Ash think he would ever say that about someone who looked so astonishingly similar to him.

"Ash? Ash!"

Ash started and his eyes darted back to Iris, yelling in surprise, "What?"

Frowning, Iris tilted her head to one side and asked, "Are you okay? You keep spacing out."

"Uh, well . . . mm," unwittingly, his eyes went back to the door, and this time, his friends followed his gaze as well.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu questioned, lifting his head from his paws to look at his trainer.

"Yeah, what's the matter, Ash?" Cilan inquired, turning back to his friend.

"I'm just thinkin' about Satoshi," Ash admitted with a shrug.

At this, Iris let out a half-hearted chuckle, pulling at one of her ponytails as she said, "Well, you're definitely not the only one."

"No, I mean . . ." Ash paused, aware of his friends curious eyes on him as he took a moment to organize his thoughts into a coherent sentence before continuing, "It's just . . . I can't stop thinking about how different he is, you know? Not that's it's a bad thing, it's just . . . weird."

"You mean how he's different from you," Cilan said, understanding right way what was bothering Ash. Ash nodded regardless.

Crossing his arms, Cilan leaned his head back against the cushion and said, "It is a bit disconcerting."

Iris shuffled in her seat, the fabric squeaking as she moved, "Yeah, it is a weird. I mean, this whole thing is weird, but it's even weirder since Satoshi looks so much like Ash, and he acts so . . . not like him."

She frowned then, more to herself than to them, adding, "It's kind of . . . I don't know . . ."

"What's up Iris?" Ash asked, able to easily see that something was on her mind.

"Axew?" Axew questioned, nudging Iris's elbow.

"It's just . . ." She shifted awkwardly in place, self-consciously rubbing her wrist as she spoke, "It just feels . . . wrong. Like something bad happened and that's the reason why he's like this."

"Something bad . . ." Ash mimicked, "Like . . . what?"

"Now, now, let's not get too ahead of ourselves," Cilan intervened, holding up his hands, "It may not be so bad as you think."

This got their attention, and they both turned their questioning gazes to him as Ash asked, "What do you mean, Cilan?"

"Well, it's not that hard to understand, really," Cilan said, holding up a finger as he continued to explain, "It is true that Satoshi acts a little differently, and having amnesia probably doesn't help matters, but his behavior is only strange to us because we're used to how Ash acts. Wherever it is Satoshi's from, it could be possible that this is simply how he normally behaves."

"So you're saying that this is the . . . 'normal' Satoshi?" Iris asked, eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement.

Cilan nodded, "Think of it this way; say you have two glasses of water."

Ash imagined said glasses easily, curious as to what point Cilan was getting at.

"One of the glasses has sugar mixed into it, and the other has lemon juice," Cilan continued, holding up a hand, "You can't tell the difference just by looking at them, because in our eyes, they have no differences."

Ash's mind went back to the glasses again, only this time he imagined spoonful of sugar being mixed into one and a slice of lemon being squeezed into the other. Thinking about, Ash had to concede that Cilan was right. The two glasses would look no different after the fact.

"But," Cilan said, "I bet that you can imagine that the two would taste incredibly different from one another!"

Ash nodded in understanding, though one question still niggled at the back of his mind, "Okay, I get that Cilan, but what does that have to do with Satoshi and me?"

"What I'm getting at is that while the two of you look the same, you act very dissimilar to one another because that's just the way you are," Cilan elucidated, smiling, "Just because you have the same face doesn't necessarily mean you're the same person at heart."

Understanding,_ real_ understanding, finally bloomed, and Ash grinned, "Oh, now I get it!"

"Yeah, that does make a lot of sense," Iris agreed, looking impressed, "I'm kinda amazed you came up with that idea so quickly Cilan."

"Let's just say I once read a very interesting theory in the Striaton City magazine," Cilan admitted, folding his arms over his chest and shrugging.

What Cilan said did make a lot of sense, Ash decided. But still . . . for all it's logic, Satoshi still seemed a little too withdrawn for that to be solely the case. Like Iris said, it did feel a little . . . wrong. But Ash already had the notion in mind to get Satoshi to open up more, and nothing would stop from accomplishing that goal.

A sudden _ping!_ from the light above the examination room immediately brought their conversation to a halt, and they all hastily stood up and made their way to the opening doors.

"All done!" Nurse Joy said airily, walking out of the exam room with Satoshi in tow.

Ash took a step forward, "Is everything okay?"

"Oh, everything's perfectly fine, save for a few bruises and some signs of exhaustion. A few nights of good rest and you're brother will be back to normal in no time," Joy informed them, much to their relief.

A small Audino pushing a rolling table walked out of the exam room, their pokeballs arranged neatly on its polished surface. The pink-haired nurse gestured to them, "You're pokemon have all checked out as well. Will you be staying the night?"

"Yes, we will," Cilan said as they recollected their pokeballs.

"Then I'll have your room prepared right away. You just wait out here," with that, Nurse Joy turned and walked back through the doors with Audino just behind her.

Once she had left, Ash moved closer to Satoshi, "Hey, you feeling okay?"

Satoshi gave him a small nod, but didn't say anything. Ash noticed that his hair was slightly damp, a few stray strands clinging to his skin. Nurse Joy must have had him take a shower. Which was good. He looked a lot better now that he was properly clean. The ring around Satoshi's finger winked in the light, catching Ash's curious eye once again. Man, he _really_ wanted to know what it was and what it was for. It was really too bad Satoshi couldn't tell them.

"So, what do you guys want to do while we wait?" Iris asked.

"It's still a little too early for dinner," Cilan informed, "And I don't think there's a town nearby."

Ash folded his arms over his chest. There wasn't a lot to do out here, since this center was just a rest stop for trainers. It was sort of like camping, just with an actual roof over their heads. Not to mention their 'guest', who so far had offered no suggestions or even shown an indication of preference toward any of the things they did. Granted, they hadn't done a lot in the short amount of time Satoshi had been with them, and it wasn't like anything exciting had come their way either. Well, aside from the giant meteor falling from the sky and landing Ash and his friends in this 'interesting' predicament, but it wasn't like Satoshi remembered any of that. Most of the time spent traveling to the Ruins had been spent training, at least on Ash's part.

Ash snapped his fingers, thinking of a perfect way to pass the time, "Hey, I know! Let's have a battle!"

"Huh? A battle?" Iris asked.

"Yeah, why not? Our pokemon could use the exercise, don't you think, buddy?" Ash turned to his partner, who was quick to agree, "Pikachu!"

"Well, I guess that's one thing we could do. What do you think Axew?" Iris asked, turning to her trusted friend.

"Ax! Axew!" Axew shouted, eyes sparkling with excitement.

"That looks like a yes to me," Cilan commented, and Ash felt his spirits liven.

"Well come on, what are we waiting for!" Ash said exuberantly, turning for the doors. Craning his neck over his shoulders, he asked, "Satoshi, you wanna come with?"

Satoshi blinked when all eyes turned to him, though his face remained impassive. It was . . . kinda weird, seeing such an expression (if one could call it that) on _his_ face. Kinda disturbing, too . . .

Iris thankfully stepped in and broke him away from his thoughts, her eyes questioning as she asked, "You . . . know what a pokemon battle is, right?"

Satoshi avoided her gaze, but he did respond with a shake of his head and a quiet, "No."

Iris's eyebrows furrowed at his blatant avoidance, and Ash couldn't help but question the strange behavior too. Granted, everything Satoshi _did_ was strange to him, from his taciturn manner to his creepily blank stare. A feeling that was amplified by the fact that Satoshi looked _exactly_ like him, which served to up the weirdness factor by quite a bit.

_I have to remember what Cilan said_, Ash thought, shaking his head to break his musings, _Though_ _we look alike, we're not the same person._

Iris chose to move past Satoshi's dodging, perking up as she spoke earnestly, "Well then, it'd be a great if you let us show you! It'll be lots of fun, I promise!"

Ash nodded enthusiastically, deciding to focus instead on his mission of getting Satoshi to open up more. And what better way to start than with a battle? "Yeah, pokemon battles are _way_ cool! Aren't they buddy?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said agreeably, ears twitching.

"And it would be a good idea for you to get better acquainted with our customs, especially since you'll probably be with us for a while," Cilan agreed, nodding.

"'Our customs'?" Iris asked, staring at him in disbelief as she crossed her arms, "He's not an alien, Cilan."

"Axew . . ."

Cilan let out a nervous laugh as he held up his hands, "Ah, of course, my apologies."

"Well, whatdya say?" Ash asked again, looking at Satoshi inquisitively.

Satoshi seemed time to mull their proposition over for some time, leaving them hanging in an expectant silence as he quietly mused to himself, "A pokemon battle . . ."

Ash, growing a little impatient and wanting to get to the fun, opened his mouth to speak, when Satoshi finally gave a soft shrug and said, "Sure, I guess. That's fine."

Ash closed his mouth, and this time he smiled. Despite it's lack of enthusiasm, he was more than pleased with the consent. And Ash was sure, once Satoshi saw how a real pokemon battle went, that that indifference would change for the better!

"Well, what are we waiting for then?" Ash asked with an eager grin, turning towards the glass doors that led outside, "Let's go!"

He bounded out of the Pokemon Center with Iris right on his heels, both excited to begin, while Cilan and Satoshi lagged a bit behind.

"Always so full energy . . ." Cilan commented with a soft, amused smile. Holding up his hands, he shrugged, "But, I suppose it is the spice of life!"

"Hm," was Satoshi's lackadaisical response, merely watching as the two run off toward an open glade in the broad expanse of trees that surrounded the Center.

Cilan turned to him, looking thoughtful before giving Satoshi a small smile, "You know, it's okay if you'd prefer not to talk. I mean, I know Ash will probably say differently, but don't think your forced to do anything you don't want to here."

Satoshi avoided his gaze but nodded nevertheless, letting Cilan know he had heard before picking up the pace and heading to where Ash and Iris had set up their own impromptu arena. Behind him, Cilan frowned and followed.

"Alright, so how do you wanna do this Iris?" Ash asked, looking at the girl standing on the other side of the field from him.

"How about a good old three on three battle for now," Iris offered.

"Sure, we can do that," Ash said. Pulling one of his pokeballs from his belt, Ash looked Cilan's way, "Hey Cilan, do think you could ref for us?"

"Of course!" Cilan said pleasantly, walking until he stood on the edge of the makeshift field exactly between the two contenders, "Just leave it to me!"

Ash nodded, when a movement to Cilan's left caught his eye. Ash's good mood lifted when he saw that Satoshi had come out to join them after all, sitting on a small, mossy log and watching the proceedings with, dare he say it, curiosity. Hopefully, it would become a little something more once he saw just how exciting pokemon battles actually were!

"Alright, you ready Ash?" Iris asked, the pokeball in her hand enlarging to it's normal size.

"You know me, I always am!" Ash replied, smiling challengingly.

"Alright, seeing as both contestants are ready," Cilan stuck his hand up into the air and, with a flourish achieved by years of practice, he swung it down and yelled, "Battle begin!"

"Okay! Go pokeball!" Ash shouted, hurling said pokeball up into the air.

"You too!" Iris yelled in tandem, throwing out her own as well.

Both pokeballs burst open and two beams of white light shot out, the arcing rays touching the ground a forming two very solid, very large shapes.

"ROOOAAAAR!" Charizard howled, flaring open his wings and flexing his arms in a ferocious display of power. He glanced around the field to establish his surroundings, but when his eyes fell on Satoshi, he snorted and abruptly turned his head away, much to Ash's disapproval. He wished Charizard would stop with that.

"DRAGOO!" was Dragonite's exigent cry, eyes flashing with eagerness as it readied itself for a fight.

"Alright Dragonite, let's start things off with Flamethrower!" Iris commanded.

"Drag!" Dragonite barked in response. With a roar, Dragonite threw his head forward and opened his mouth, a torrent of flame exploding from the back of the pokemon's throat and lighting the field with a burnished orange glow.

"You too Charizard!" Ash yelled, turning his complete focus to the battle at hand.

Charizard bellowed mightily and unleashed his own internal fire, the red flames leaping across the field and meeting Dragonite's flamethrower head-on at the center of the field, the two separate attacks roaring to a blaze before canceling eachother out in a gust of burning embers and smoke.

"Now Dragonite, use Thunder Punch!"

Dragonite charged, pushing through the smoke and raising his fist as spurts of energy began to coat his talons in a glove of yellow electricity.

"Charizard, fly up and dodge it!"

With a growl of consent, Charizard fanned his wings and took to the air, flying up over Dragonite's attack right as the dragon pokemon slammed his fist into the ground he had been standing on. Chunks of rock and dirt flew up in the air along with a few fractured bursts of electricity, all of which Charizard easily avoided.

"Fly up after Charizard, Dragonite!"

Dragonite took wing as well, speeding after the fire pokemon with a determined glint in his eyes.

Ash narrowed his eyes, "Alright then. Charizard, use Wing Attack!"

Charizard curved sharply in the air as he rounded on his opponent, wings flashing white as he dove at his target.

"Dragon Rush, Dragonite!"

The dragon pokemon's body took on a bluish hue as an aura of azure light sprang into being around him, flying forward like a shooting star as both pokemon became locked in a game of attrition of who would tire first. Quick slashes and parries were exchanged as the two flew by one another, gaining a new bruise here and there with every strike. In the end, both separated from the other, panting as Charizard's glowing wings faded and Dragonite's blue aura fizzled out. In that brief lull, Ash glanced Satoshi's way to see what the boy's reaction to the fight was so far. To his satisfaction, Satoshi looked like he was completely engrossed in the battle, watching with wide, rapt eyes that may have even held a small spark of awe as the two pokemon fought it out. But then Satoshi blinked, seeming to realize that he was being watched as his eyes suddenly looked Ash's way. Ash smiled a bit nervously, embarrassed at having been caught staring, only to grow puzzled when Satoshi sharply broke eye contact and turned away.

_What's his problem? _Ash couldn't help but wonder.

"Still good to go, Dragonite?" Iris asked, breaking him out of his thoughts. Ash would have to save his questions for later. Right now there was a battle to win!

Dragonite smirked, grunting a confident, "Drag!"

"Ready for some more, Charizard?" Ash inquired, already knowing the answer.

Charizard growled long and low, eyes flashing provocatively as he stared his opponent down, the tip of his flaming tail twitching impatiently as he waited for the command to go.

Smiling, Ash pointed forward, yelling, "Alright Charizard, Flamethrower now!"

"Quick Dragonite, use Ice Beam!" Iris shouted in reply, holding out her hand.

Another bout of flame was unleashed from Charizard's jaws, while a small orb of blue-white energy coalesced in Dragonite's mouth before it was released in the form of thin beam of icy energy. The two attacks collided together, exploding into a haze of fog that blanketed the sky in a veil of white.

Charizard burst out of the veil, white tufts of fog clinging to his body as he hovered just below the cloud he had helped create. Of Dragonite, there was no sign.

Across from him, Iris smirked, "Now Dragonite, use Thunder Punch!"

There was a flash of yellow light in the clouds above Charizard, and Ash just barely managed to cry out, "Charizard, look out!"

Charizard flipped in the air right as the cloud cover above him exploded outward and Dragonite came flying down, slamming his electrified fist right into Charizard's gut. Charizard let out a guttural roar of pain as they both came careening out of the sky.

But Ash already had a plan in mind, "Charizard, grab Dragonite's arm and don't let go!"

Opening his eyes, Charizard obeyed, digging his claws into the dragon pokemon's arm with a grip that was made of iron.

"Now flip yourself around so Dragonite's the one that's under you instead!" Ash ordered, smiling.

With a defiant roar, Charizard twisted their bodies around as he followed Ash's instructions to a T, much to Dragonite's shock, "Drag?!"

"What?!" Iris cried in alarm, watching as the tables were suddenly flipped on her.

Before Iris could give a command, Dragonite and Charizard slammed into the ground, with Dragonite taking the brunt of the damage as he served as Charizard's spontaneous cushion.

With a grin, Ash yelled, "Alright Charizard, let's wrap this up! Use Dragon Tail!"

Charizard's tail, flame and all, lit up with a vibrant blue glow, and Ash could practically feel the power it exuded in it's light. Jumping off Dragonite and using his wings to act as extra lift, Charizard spun gracefully in the air and smashed his tail right onto Dragonite's prone form, eliciting a sharp cry of pain from the dragon pokemon as a cloud of dust and dirt obscured Ash's vision. Charizard leapt back and landed just in front of Ash, fierce eyes locked on the smocking crater at the heart of the field.

"Dragonite?" Iris asked, looking fearful.

The smoke cleared, and all could see Dragonite laying motionless in the crater, spiral-eyed and down for the count.

"Dragonite is unable to battle!" Cilan said. Gesturing to Charizard, he yelled, "The victory goes to Charizard!"

"Alright!" Ash cried jubilantly, "Great work Charizard!"

Charizard let out a triumphant rumble from deep within his throat, placing his hands against his hips with poise as he nodded.

"You did good Dragonite. Now take a good rest," Iris said compassionately to her fallen pokemon as she summoned him back to his pokeball. Once he was stowed safely away, she rose to her feet and looked at Ash with an unwavering stare, stating, "Don't get too smug, Ash. Next battle is mine!"

Ash smiled, "We'll just have to see about that."

He looked over Satoshi's way, "So what did you think about the battle Sa- . . ." Ash blinked, confusion growing as he stared at the empty spot where Satoshi had once been sitting, "Satoshi?"

Iris turned to where Ash was looking, puzzled voice asking, "Where did he go?"

"He didn't go back inside, did he?" Cilan questioned, crossing his arms.

"Not that I saw," Iris said, frowning.

A familiar weight appeared on Ash's shoulders, and Pikachu murmured a soft, "Pikapika."

The Pokemon Center's doors suddenly opened, and for a moment Ash thought that Satoshi would be the one to step through. But instead, it was simply Nurse Joy, who was quick to bounce over to them, a warm smile on her face as she informed them, "I just wanted to let you all know that your rooms are ready now."

"Uh, thanks . . ." Ash said falteringly. Looking over her shoulder, he asked, "Um, Nurse Joy, you didn't happen to see Satoshi walk inside the Center just now, did you?"

The friendly Nurse's eyebrows furrowed together as a puzzled look crossed her face, "I'm sorry, but no. After you four left, no one else has arrived at the Center today."

"Oh, don't tell me he wandered off!" Iris huffed, looking out to the ring of trees that surrounded the area.

"Oh dear . . ." Cilan said softly, pressing a finger to his forehead.

"Has your brother gone missing?" Nurse Joy asked, puzzlement quickly replaced by concern as she started to grasp the situation.

'Brother'. That was still so weird to hear.

"Um, he . . . might have," Ash said, starting to grow worried. And when he grew worried, he needed to do something.

He walked over to Charizard, pausing when Iris asked him, "And just where are you going?"

He turned to her, placing a hand on Charizard's shoulder as he did so, "I'm gonna go look for him. I figure with Charizard, I could find him faster than I could on foot."

"Huh, that's . . . strangely smart of you," Iris commented.

Ash frowned, "I'm not stupid, Iris!"

"I wonder sometimes," Iris said with a flippant shrug.

Ash growled, but before he could speak, Cilan cut him off.

"Now, now, we have bigger things to worry about right now," Cilan said, holding up a placating hand, "We should find Satoshi first, remember."

"It would be good for you to go out now, while there's still light out," Nurse Joy said, "I'll stay here in case he comes back."

"That would be much appreciated. Thank you, Nurse Joy," Cilan said appreciatively.

Letting his anger subside, Ash nodded and hopped onto Charizard's back, "Okay, I'm gonna go now."

"Be careful please," Cilan said.

"Yeah, and keep close to the Center," Iris added, "Satoshi couldn't have gotten that far."

Ash nodded again, smiling confidently as he said, "Don't worry, we'll find him."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu added.

"Okay, you ready Charizard?" Ash asked, looking to the fire pokemon for confirmation.

With a roar, Charizard puffed up his chest and flapped his wings, rising off the ground easily before taking to the skies, swooping low over the trees as Ash began his search.

_Just where could Satoshi have gone?_ Ash wondered, frowning, _And why? It looked like he was enjoying the battle, but . . . could I have been wrong?_

* * *

The sun and started to sink behind the trees by the time Ash finally caught a glimpse of the missing boy.

"Down there, Charizard!" Ash shouted, pointing down to a small gap between the branches that would allow the fire pokemon to land. With a grunt, Charizard followed through, large body snapping a few frail branches in two as he hit the leafy floor with a dull _thud_, the gust from his wings kicking up a few feeble leaves.

Quickly hopping off his back, Ash said gratefully, "Thanks Charizard. I'll be right back."

Wasting no time, he quickly headed out in the direction he'd seen Satoshi, pushing through the underbrush and wincing as twigs caught on his clothes and hit him in the face. How had Satoshi even managed to get out here? And how had he gotten so far away so quickly?

Maybe his questions would be answered, because soon he'd pushed passed the last ring of bushes into a small, narrow glade comprised of mostly thick, intertwining roots and tufts of soft grass. The leaves overhead were small and slight, leaving a thin patch of sky still visible from ground below. And sitting on one of those roots, half-hidden in the shadow the tree beside him, was Satoshi. He had pulled his legs up to his chest and had wrapped his arms around his knees, chin resting idly on his hands as he stared out ahead of him, seemingly unaware of Ash's approach.

Narrowing his eyes, Ash strode forward, calling out, "Hey Satoshi! Where've you been? We've been lookin' everywhere for you!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu added, looking slightly cross.

Satoshi didn't look his way, or even turn his head to let Ash know he had heard him. Ash shouldn't have been surprised by this reclusive behavior, but even so, it still irked him. Planting himself firmly in front of him, hands resting indignantly against his hips, Ash asked, "So would ya mind telling me why you ran off like that? I mean, I know I'm kinda not one to talk, but . . ."

Satoshi, once again, gave no response.

"Mm," Ash sighed with a frown. Dropping to a knee so he was at eye level with the other boy, he said, "Look, Satoshi, I know we only met like, a day ago, and you probably don't feel all that comfortable with us yet, but you _can_ tell us if something's bothering you, you know. I mean, yeah, it's probably just as weird for you as it is for me, but I'm being serious when I say we just want to help you."

"Chu . . ." Pikachu mewed, watching Satoshi with a somewhat worried eye.

Something finally seemed to click, because Satoshi lifted his head and muttered a soft, "Why . . . ?"

"Huh?" Ash questioned, leaning over to catch what he said.

Eyelids lowering, Satoshi whispered, "Why are you so nice to me?"

Ash blinked, incomprehension setting in as he scratched the side of his head, "Well, that's a funny question. Why wouldn't we be nice to you?"

"I feel . . ." Satoshi sighed and once again lowered his head, "I feel like you shouldn't be."

"Huh?" Ash questioned, now genuinely confused, "Why's that?"

"Pika?"

But Satoshi only shrugged, mumbling, "I don't know."

Ash grimaced, wanting to hit himself for being so thoughtless. Satoshi didn't have any memories right now, duh, of course he's not gonna know!

"Sorry," Ash said apologetically. Satoshi merely shrugged.

Ash dawdled for a moment, unsure over what to do. Of course, the one time Satoshi actually _talks _to him, and he's at a loss for words. Go figure.

Well, there was one thing he could say. A thing Ash thought didn't need saying, but that apparently might not be the case.

"Well . . ." he started, trying to organize his thoughts into something semi-coherent, "It's true our situation is weird and all, and I get that things must be really hard on you right now, but Satoshi . . ."

He leaned down so that he could look the other boy in the eyes, "That doesn't mean I don't think we can't be friends. In fact, I think it'd be really cool if we were!"

Satoshi's eyes widened, looking a little shocked by Ash's declaration, "Friends?"

"Yeah!" Ash said, smiling, "I mean, I know we act totally different, but when has that stopped people before?"

Pikachu suddenly hopped down from his shoulder and landed on Satoshi's knees, forcing the boy pull up his head entirely in order to avoid the little pokemon's paws. With a smile, Pikachu patted a paw against one of his hands, chirping, "Pikapika. Pikachu!"

Ash smiled, "See, Pikachu thinks so too! And I can bet you the everyone else does as well!"

"Is that . . . really alright?" Satoshi asked, looking very unsure.

"Whatdya mean 'is it alright? Of course it is!" Ash said confidently. Rising to his feet, he held out his hand again to help pull Satoshi to his feet, saying, "We're friends, okay?"

Pikachu maneuvered himself so he balanced on Satoshi's head, adding his own happy, "Pikapi!"

A strange, misty look appeared in Satoshi's eyes as he stared at Ash, looking equal parts shocked and stirred by the speech. Then, to both Ash's and Pikachu's incredible surprise, a single, pristine tear suddenly rolled down the side of Satoshi's cheek.

"S-Satoshi, are you okay?" Ash asked, alarmed.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu asked as well, worried.

At the sight of their alarmed stares, Satoshi pressed his fingers against his cheek, and as soon as he felt the wetness, he let out a small gasp of surprise and quickly set to wiping the tear away.

"Uh . . ." Ash mumbled, feeling at a loss.

"I'm fine," Satoshi said quickly, standing up himself.

"Um, if you're sure . . ." Ash said, not convinced in the slightest. What had happened just then?

"We should . . . probably head back," Satoshi mumbled, stepping off the root and onto the forest floor proper. Pikachu quickly leapt off his hand and landed back on Ash's shoulder, taking up his usual spot as the two started to walk back to where Charizard waited.

"Yeah, probably," Ash said. Not wanting to end the conversation on such an awkward note, he added with a nervous chuckle, "Iris is probably gonna chew us both out for taking so long."

Satoshi was silent, and for a moment, Ash thought that that would be the end of their first ever actual conversation. Then, " . . . you think?"

No way, was Satoshi really going to continue talking to him? Awesome!

Ash was all to happy to keep the ball rolling as they walked, "Yeah, probably. But it usually doesn't last too long. Anyway . . ."

Pushing through the underbrush again, he continued, "Since our pokemon battle wasn't finished, I was gonna see if maybe after dinner she'd want to continue. So, if she says yes, do you want to watch again?" Ash laced his hands behind his head and smiled, "After all, it looked like you were really enjoying it before you disappeared."

At this, Satoshi looked away, and though it may have just been a trick of the fading light, Ash could have sworn he saw a faint blush appear on Satoshi's cheeks.

"I . . .would like that," Satoshi admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. There was a moment of silence, then, "About before . . . running off, I mean . . . I'm sorry."

Ash lifted an eyebrow, asking, "Yeah, why did you go off by yourself anyway?"

"I . . . honestly don't know," Satoshi admitted, "I just felt like I had to move and get away. I don't know from what, but . . ."

He trialed off, lapsing back into a familiar strain of silence that had become typical of his character. Ash frowned, confused by the statement. What did he mean by that, exactly.

It would have to be a conversation for another day, however, as right then they entered the clearing where Charizard was currently roosting. As soon as the fire lizard saw them, however, he stood up, flapping his wings in preparation for take-off.

"Hey Charizard!" Ash said happily, running up to his side.

Charizard growled in response, a small spurt of fire shooting out passed his lips and fizzling out in the air. When he saw Satoshi, he growled again, except this one was not so friendly. He turned away, snorting.

"Charizard, what's up you?" Ash asked, both perplexed and annoyed by the behavior.

"Pikachu . . ." Pikachu murmured.

Charizard gave a short, gravelly bark, laced with irritability, and Ash frowned, "Look, I don't know what your deal with Satoshi is, but we need to get back to the Pokemon Center. You can put with it until then at least, can't you?"

Charizard mulled it over, than gave an affirmative, though reluctant, grunt. Ash smiled, "Thanks, Charizard."

Pulling himself onto Charizard's back, he beckoned Satoshi over, "Come on Satoshi."

The boy stepped forward, though he didn't immediately accept Ash's hand, looking uncertainly at the fire pokemon himself. Charizard grunted and looked away, tail twitching.

Ash sighed, then looked at Satoshi, "Don't worry about him, Satoshi. Come on, we wanna get back before it gets too late."

"Pikapichu!" Pikachu said encouragingly.

Satoshi gave one last glance at Charizard, then quickly walked forward and grabbed Ash's hand. Pulling him up, Satoshi took a seat just behind Ash, who proceeded to give the order, "Okay, hold on tight! Let's go Charizard!"

Charizard roared and leapt high into the air, and with a few powerful flaps of his wings he quickly climbed up into the sky and began a leisurely soar back to the Center. Satoshi involuntarily tightened his grip at the sudden change in altitude, but soon began to relax as they headed back. Ash smiled, brightened by the prospect that Satoshi was enjoying himself and that maybe, just maybe, he was receptive to the idea of being friends. It might be a long road until he fully admitted it, but today had proven that it was not impossible.

Only a narrow band of the sun was visible above the tops of the trees by that point, it's steadily weakening light casting the top branches with an orange glow and leaving the rest of the forest in deep shadow. A shadow that hid all manner of things, pokemon and beasts alike.

Including one creature that vigilantly observed the two with cold, implacable eyes.

* * *

Yay, friendship! It's magic! :3

Also, I hope the pokemon battle was done well. That was toughie.

Rate and review, if it pleases you. ;)


	4. The White Ruins

And here we are again. Now, here we will be breaching into a couple of actual episodes (with some artistic license taken, of course), but it will NOT stay that way! After like, three episodes, we will branch off and start doing our own thing, promise!

And I _still_ own nothing. My black magic isn't working. :(

* * *

The White Ruins

The walk was quiet save for the sounding the group's footfalls, the air still save for the occasional breeze. The time between the Center and the Ruins had been, well, an interesting one. After Satoshi had talked to him, really talked to him, he'd begun to interact a little more openly with Ash and his friends. Sometimes he'd stand and watch Cilan cook food, eyes attentive as he observed whatever dish Cilan happened to be preparing, occasionally even asking questions about something that really peaked his interest. Cilan didn't mind in the slightest, always open for an audience, and perhaps even enjoying the attention seeing as how the novelty of it had worn off on Iris and Ash ages ago. Other times he'd help Iris gather berries, with one particularly amusing incident where Satoshi had gone ahead and eaten all of the berries she had given him without her knowing about it until they got back to camp. Her face had gotten so red Ash genuinely started to worry that she might explode, but not until after he was done laughing. She eventually got her revenge though, when it came to light that Satoshi was actually a little bit taller than Ash was, a fact she relentlessly teased him with.

And when Satoshi wasn't with them, he was always eagerly watching Ash practice with his pokemon, sometimes talking, sometimes not, but always he was attentive. Several times, Ash had tried to get him to participate, but Satoshi had refused every time. With the pokemon, Satoshi continued to remain on very good terms with, often enjoying simply sitting down and watching them do their own things. So, even if it was only by a little bit, it was good knowing that he was opening up more.

But Ash's mind was far from those thoughts that afternoon. Right now, his mind, and eyes, were elsewhere . Namely, on Satoshi, and Iris's words from the week before.

_It just feels . . . wrong. Like something bad happened and it's the reason why he's like this._

_ Is that really true? _Ash wondered as he watched Satoshi walk, a small frown on his face, _Did something bad happen to you?_

Eyebrows knitting together, Ash tried to think of something that would make _him_ this quiet and introverted, unresponsive even to familiar faces. Losing Leagues and saying goodbye to good friends had always been disappointing and sad affairs that had never failed to keep him quiet for a few days. But even then he bounced back quickly, and if he ever began to feel down, which was rare, he would just console himself with the memories he had made on his journeys. Memories of the time he spent with his friends and their many adventures together. The sort of memories he wouldn't trade for the world.

He blinked, head rising up a centimeter. Something in that train of thought sounded, not off, but . . . right? Why did it sound right? He thought harder, face scrunching slightly in concentration. Friends, adventures, memories . . .

The realization struck him like a bolt of lightening.

_Memories!_

"That's it!" He shouted aloud, stopping in his tracks_. _That was why Satoshi was so quiet all the time! He didn't have any memories to think back on to help him feel better! Ash wanted to slap himself for not seeing it sooner, even though he already _knew_ Satoshi was an amnesiac. Some help he was.

". . . What's it, Ash," Iris asked, looking puzzled.

"Yeah, what's it?" Cilan asked.

"Pikachu?" Pikachu asked, looking at his trainer inquisitively.

"Oh, ah," Ash babbled, rubbing the back of his head. In his over-enthusiasm, he hadn't realized that everyone else had stopped to stare at him. He cast a quick glance at Satoshi, who had also stopped and craned his neck over his shoulder to stare at him, "Ah, well, I kinda just remembered something, that's all!"

Eyebrows remained quirked and Ash was pretty sure they didn't believe him, but thankfully no one questioned him further.

_Whew, _he thought, relieved.

But his mind quickly went back to his previous thoughts. Satoshi had no memories, none at all. Aside from his name, it was almost like having no identity, and the only way to fix that was if those memories came back, and that didn't seem like it was going to happen in the foreseeable future.

So, Ash came to the only conclusion that made sense; make some. Satoshi may not have a past right now, but that didn't mean they couldn't make some good memories of their own. Besides, once Satoshi thawed out a little more, it might actually be kinda cool to have another him running around.

"Hey guys, look up ahead!" Iris sudden yell quickly grabbed his attention, and he looked to see where she was pointing. There in the distance, Ash could see a tower rising from the foliage of green around it, tall and proud.

Excitement sent an electric tingle up his spine, "Hey, that must be Dragon Spiral Tower!"

Steps quickening, it wasn't long until they all stood just underneath the ancient tower, gazing in awe at the old, moss-coated walls.

"Wow, it's huge!" Ash exclaimed, staring up at the great tower.

"Pika," Pikachu murmured in agreement.

"And amazing, standing up close like this," Iris said.

"Axew," Axew chimed.

"It's said that this tower is the oldest one in Unova, but no one is really able to say when, or by whom, this was built!" Cilan informed, and the other two let out a breath of wonder.

_I wonder how old it really is, _Ash thought. He glanced over at Satoshi, who was also gazing at the looming tower in front of them with curious eyes.

With a smile, he asked, "What do you think Satoshi? Pretty cool, huh?"

Satoshi turned his head at the sound of his name. Over the course of their time together, Ash had discovered that one indicator Satoshi was in a good mood and more receptive to conversation was if Satoshi replied to his promptings. If he wasn't, then he would just ignore him.

And it must have been a good day, because Ash was indeed rewarded with a response, "Yeah, it's . . . pretty cool. I like the markings."

Heartened by the answer, Ash pumped his arms up in excitement and said, "Once we get there, I bet that the White Ruins will be even cooler!"

"Not to mention the fact that we might bear witness to some truly historic finds!" Cilan added animatedly.

_Right, the excavation,_ Ash remembered. He was certainly looking forward to it, to be sure, but at the same time he really wanted to ask the professor if he could help Satoshi. Unfortunately, the White Ruins themselves were still a ways off, and any answers to be found would have to wait since the Professor would probably still be busy with the aforementioned excavation. It was a bit of a bummer.

"Axew!"

Ash and everyone else turned to Axew, who was staring down the dirt road they had just walked on. In the distance, Ash could see a small figure coming closer to them with every passing second, a small cloud of churned-up dust rising behind it. A car, he realized. A car who had a man sticking his head out of the window and waving at them, "Hey there everyone!"

He slowed to a stop in front of the curious group, tires crunching the dirt beneath them, "Are you, by chance, close friends with Professor Juniper?"

"Uh, we are, but why?" Ash inquired, wondering who the strange man was. Satoshi, who had a problem when it came to new people, had already maneuvered behind him and out of the man's sight. It was a quirk Ash and the others found slightly perturbing, but they had gotten used to. Sort of.

"When you say 'Professor Juniper' . . ." Iris started slowly.

"The truth is, we're actually friends with Professor Juniper, and her father Professor Juniper," Cilan finished, looking a little embarrassed.

"It is easy to get confused with both of them being professors," The man agreed, "Right. I happen to be the elder Professor Juniper's assistant, and he's waiting for you at the White Ruins."

"Does that mean you came all the way out here to pick us up?" Ash asked.

"Of course! Come on, get in," the man said jovially, popping the locks on the door.

"Awesome!" was all Ash had to say on their luck. As Iris and Cilan pulled the doors open, he turned to face Satoshi and beckoned him over with an encouraging smile, "Come on, Satoshi. You don't have to worry about this guy."

The man's jaw suddenly dropped, leaning out of the window as he caught sight of the boy behind Ash, "Wha-?!"

He stopped mid-exclamation and the shock on the man's face disappeared almost as quickly as it had come. After a few coughs to clear his throat, and in a much more composed manner than before, he asked, "Um, and who, may I ask, is this? The Professor only mentioned three of you were on your way to the White Ruins."

"Oh, ah, this is my brother, Satoshi," Ash quickly lied, using the cover story they had all agreed on, "He arrived in Unova a little awhile ago, and we decided to travel together. It's okay if he comes with us, right?"

The man looked at Satoshi with an observing eye, a soft 'hmm' humming through his lips. Ash, Iris, and Cilan all waited for his answer with bated breath, tense and nervous. Ash could feel a bead of sweat rolling down his cheek, and could only hope that the man didn't notice.

Then, after what felt like an eternity, the man grinned and announced, "Well, a pleasure to meet you, too. Hop in, and we'll be at the White Ruins in no time!"

As soon as the man turned his back, they all let out a sigh of relief before clambering into the car. Soon, they were on the road once more, only this time with much more comfortable accommodations than before.

After a while of driving in silence, Cilan decided to pose the question, "So, how is the Ruin's excavation going?"

Juniper's assistant was only too happy to answer, "Well, we may have actually made a monumental find."

"Monumental find?" Everyone questioned in unison, leaning forward in excitement and ears perking up in eagerness to hear the answer.

Ash leaned back in his seat, "Cool! So tell us what this find is?"

The man laughed, "You'll see for yourself soon enough!"

"Aw," Ash grumbled, shoulders slumping in disappointment. The man only chortled.

* * *

They arrived at the Ruins in record time. Aside from all the workers and tents spread about the area and the noise of the ensuing dig, it was still quite beautiful, with moss-covered stones that were carved with uncanny detail and beautiful forested hills surrounding the entire site.

"Wow, so these are the White Ruins!" Ash said, gazing in admiration at the scenic site.

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed enthusiastically.

"This place is humongous!" Iris commented, and she was right too. The place was _huge_. It was wonder how everyone didn't get lost.

"Xew!" the little dragon pokemon chirped excitedly.

Lifting a finger in the air, Cilan said, "It's like tasting an exotic spice for the very first time!"

Satoshi didn't say anything, but he was looking around and, as far as Ash could tell, seemed to be enjoying himself. Satoshi would even ask about one dig site or another and it's purpose, which the assistant was all to happy to answer. They walked to the far end of the site, commenting on all the pokemon they saw working with humans and drinking in everything the ruins had to offer on the way.

"I wish N could see all this," Ash said, in awe at the devotion the pokemon and humans shared. If only . . .

They eventually came to the mouth of an ancient and dark tunnel, a tunnel that seemed to descend into the belly of the earth itself. The man continued walking toward it, unafraid, "The monumental find I mentioned is this way."

"Right!" everyone said as they followed him into the cave, anticipation in their steps.

As they walked, Ash discreetly fell back to walk beside Satoshi as Juniper's assistant continued to talk about the ruin's history with his friends, "So what do ya think?"

Satoshi glanced at him before averting his gaze to the floor, silent. But it allowed for enough time to see that Satoshi looked . . . nervous. His face pale, and his eyes were constantly flicking from one shadowed hallway to the next, like a Deerling being hunted by pack of Houndoom.

Ash felt his spine straighten. Something was up, "Hey, what's wrong?"

Satoshi didn't answer immediately, and when he did, his words sounded distant and unfocused, "It's nothing, don't worry about it."

Satoshi's pace quickened, putting distance between the two of them in a matter of moments. Ash's own pace slowed as he lifted an eyebrow, feeling concerned. Something was really eating at Satoshi. The only question was what.

"Pikachu," Pikachu murmured as he watched Satoshi leave, ears low.

"I don't know either, buddy," Ash responded, frowning.

"Hey," Ash turned and saw that Iris had fallen in step beside him, looking worried, "Is everything okay?"

Ash glanced at Satoshi, "I don't know, Iris. I just asked him what he thought about the place, and now he's all upset."

Iris looked at Satoshi before turning back to Ash, "Maybe he's just nervous about meeting Professor Juniper? You know how he is when it comes to strangers."

Ash wanted to say that was it, but the knot in his stomach told him that that wasn't the case. But if Satoshi wasn't going to talk to him now, then no amount of cajoling was going to make him.

They carried on in silence after that, following the assistant through a maze of dilapidated stone tunnels that seemed to have no end, to the point where Ash soon had no idea where he was anymore, "Man, this place is really confusing."

"It's like a complicated recipe full of ingredients," Cilan agreed in his own unique way.

"We haven't fully excavated the entire site yet," the man explained, "But the White Ruins are _by far_ the largest ones to date!"

"It feels like you could totally get lost in here," Iris said, looking at the multitude of branching corridors within the hallway they were in alone.

Axew shrank back into her hair, "Xew."

Fortunately, the mind-numbing maze was eventually left behind as the tunnel they were in came to an end in the form of a small room. The room itself was dusty and, like the rest of the ruins, old, but it still had an air of mystique to it that made the place feel alive. The opposite wall was a giant mural of archaic symbols, all worn down and crumbling with the passage of time, and standing in front of it was none other than Professor Juniper himself.

"Hey, Professor Juniper!" Ash yelled to get his attention.

"Great to see you again!" Iris said, waving.

"NO!" The Professor shouted, holding up an urgent 'stay there' hand, "Stay put! Don't take another step!"

Everyone froze, startled and alarmed.

"If there were any danger, that is!"

Everyone face-faulted, a cloud of dust billowing up into the air after they hit the floor.

"Oh yeah," Ash said, lifting his head from the floor.

"Look like you still have a way with words, Professor," Iris mumbled, voice tight.

"Axew," Axew muttered beside her.

The Professor laughed, "You haven't forgotten rule one of adventures, have you?"

Cilan scratched his cheek, a small sweat drop forming on his brow as he quoted, "'Act after I finish my thought'. How could we?"

"You're exactly right! And thank you for coming all this way!" The Professor said gratefully as he walked over to them.

"No, we thank you!" Cilan responded.

"You're the one who invited us! " Iris reminded him.

Ash thought now was a good time to introduce Satoshi. None of them would be able to go into detail over his 'condition', what with the Professor's assistant being present, but it would be good to get Satoshi acquainted with the Professor in the meantime. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that Satoshi hadn't come into the room yet and was instead hovering in the doorway. Their eyes met, and Ash gave him smile, a sign that had come to mean it was alright and that he could come over. Something that helped Satoshi relax. So it came as a surprise when instead Satoshi sharply broke the eye-contact and looked away. Ash frowned at the sudden change in Satoshi's mood. What was wrong with him?

The Professor, having perceptively noticed Ash looking at the doorway, spotted the boy himself and cocked an eyebrow, "Ah, and who is this?"

"Oh, uh," Ash fumbled, "That's my brother, Satoshi."

"Oh, I wasn't aware that you had a brother!" The Professor stated before casually walking over to Satoshi. He extended a hand, "A pleasure to meet you, Satoshi! I'm Professor Juniper, the head researcher here at the White Ruins."

Satoshi stared at the outstretched hand for a few moments before slowly accepting it, saying a soft and somewhat bland, "Hello."

Professor Juniper raised an eyebrow, a small frown appearing on his face as he held up a finger, "Now, young man, there's no need to be rude."

Ash winced, and beside him, his two friends shared a worried glance. Satoshi looked merely nonplussed.

Then the Professor smiled, "Is what most Professors would say!"

Ash sighed while his friend slapped a hand against their faces, from both relief and exasperation. He came over to Satoshi's side, explaining, "Sorry Professor. He's just a little shy around new people, is all."

"Really now?" Juniper asked, "That's quite a shift in personality, I must say! But then again, I suppose you can't expect all siblings to be exactly like yourself, can you?"

"Uh, yeah," Ash said, laughing nervously. Shaking his head and feeling better now that awkward introductions were out of the way, Ash went ahead and asked the question that was on everyone's mind, "So Professor, can you tell us more about this 'great discovery'?"

The Professor was more than happy to oblige their curiosity, turning around and gesturing to the wall engraved with numerous murals behind him, "Well, just take a look at this wall!"

Walking over to it, he continued, "From what I can understand of the ancient hieroglyphs etched on this mural, behind that door lies a most important something related to the legendary pokemon Reshiram!"

"Is that the one with the statue in the Village of Dragons?" Ash asked, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"It's the legendary dragon type said to control fire," Iris said, looking awed.

"And the legend says it can generate flames from it's tail that can burn through anything," Cilan added.

Iris stared at the old, carven door, saying softly, "And to think more information could be behind that door."

Cilan stepped forward, face intent, "Yes, that would be a monumental discovery indeed!"

"Well, we won't learn anything until we first get beyond this door!" Pulling out an old, worn leather journal from his back pocket, the elderly man began to quickly rummage through it, eyes expertly scanning over the dog-eared pages with ease, "From my research so far, I've learned that the door was sealed by a specific method. And I'm happy to say that I've already figured out a way to break the seal!"

At this, gasps of joy and wonderment resounded throughout the room, the assistant even cheering, "That's fantastic, Professor!"

"That is, if it works," the Professor finished.

Everyone hit the floor once more, Ash moaning, "Listen till the end . . ."

"Pikachu . . ." Pikachu muttered.

Satoshi, who was not bothered by the Professor's mannerisms, merely watched as they picked themselves up off the floor. But as Ash swiped away some of the dirt that had gotten on his clothes, he noticed the other boy glance behind him with a frown, back at the shadowed hallway they had come from. But when Ash turned to look, all he saw was a hallway. He really needed to ask Satoshi what was bugging him later.

"But, I'm ready to give it a try, so please observe!" The Professor said, and he set to work sliding certain runes around in a certain order as he read the scribbles jotted down in his journal, "First this . . . then this slides here . . . then to the left . . . and now up!"

Everyone watched fixedly as the man worked, staring at the one empty slot that was left as a final, previously unseen rune slid into place. A tense silence settled over the room as everyone waited for something to happen, no one daring to speak. The wait was not a long one, as suddenly all the runes on the wall lit up, the light growing brighter and brighter until it was blinding.

Ash covered his eyes at the intense burn, only hearing the Professor's comment as he lost sight of everyone in the powerful light, "It appears I've done it correctly!"

The light grew to a brilliant level, so bright it hurt even with an arm held tight over his closed eyes. Then, finally, the radiance started to die, leaving only darkness in it's place.

_Have you come to die?_

Ash eye's flew open as his head shot up, looking left and right for the source of the voice that he thought he had heard. But aside from his friends, the Professor, and his assistant, there was no one else there. And as the silence wore on, he began to doubt he had even heard anything at all.

_Am I . . . imagining things?_ he thought, feeling unnerved.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu asked, head tilted to one side as he stared at his trainer.

Turning to face the mouse pokemon, Ash smiled, albeit shakily, "I'm okay, buddy. Just thought I heard something."

Looking back up, he involuntarily started when he saw Satoshi staring at him keenly, an unfamiliar gleam flashing in his brown eyes. As soon as Ash caught him staring, though, he quickly turned away.

_Okay, that was . . . weird_, Ash thought, staring at Satoshi's turned back.

"Oh wow, you did it!" Iris's jubilant cry brought him back to reality, and Ash soon realized the reason for her excitement.

The once sealed door was now open, revealing a long, dark tunnel made of chiseled stone that led even deeper into the Ruins. With a triumphant grin, Ash yelled, "Alright, awesome!"

They all eagerly followed the Professor into the tunnel, and soon they found themselves in a huge antechamber that must have been at the heart of the Ruins themselves! All along the walls grew clumps of green lichen and moss, strings of ivy curling along the domed roof in droves. Several sets of stairs were carved into the stone all around the chamber, including where they stood, all leading down to the heart of the chamber where an altar set upon a dais stood. The only light source came from the open hole at the very center of the ceiling, allowing soft rays of sunlight to filter through and land on the altar, bouncing off of the polished white marble and making it glow. Resting on top of the altar was a strange orb covered in an extensive etching of odd runes.

"Fascinating," Professor Juniper said, looking at the room with nothing short of admiration, "This seems to be the remains of a dormant volcano!"

But Ash's eyes were on the altar, and he quickly pointed at it and asked, "What is that?"

Professor Juniper seemed to know instantly what it was, "That's the Light Stone!"

"The Light Stone?" Everyone echoed, staring at the orb in wonder.

"_Or_ it's just a round rock."

Cue another collective face-fault, everyone simultaneously hitting the ground hard save for Satoshi who once again failed to react to the Professor's odd quirk. Ash wanted to groan, but he knew there was no point, so instead he turned to Iris and asked, "Hey, do you know what the Light Stone is?"

Iris pressed a finger to her temple, thinking before speaking, "Some say it's Reshiram transformed into another shape."

"Reshiram in another shape?" Ash asked as he rose back to his feet. Realization struck the moment after the words left his lips, and excitement filled him to his core at the implications.

He wasn't the only one to realize this, as Cilan cried out, "That means we could be seeing the actual Reshiram right here in front of our eyes!"

"Perhaps," The Professor said, placing his hands underneath the stone, "Let's get it out of here for a closer look!"

With a grunt, he lifted the large stone from it's resting place, holding it up into the light and examining the prize in his hands with a smile. Then the surface stone seemed to flicker, and suddenly the entire orb exploded into a fiery blaze that lashed out wildly before coalescing into a single beam and flying out through the hole in the ceiling, shooting up into the sky into a pillar made of flame. And just as fast as it had come, the fire suddenly winked out, and the orb resumed it's original shape as if nothing had happened at all.

Concerned, everyone ran forward, the assistant asking worriedly, "Professor, you're not hurt, are you?"

"No, I'm just fine," The professor said reassuringly, and indeed, there weren't any burns on his hands from what Ash could see, "And since the stone's back to normal, let's go."

"Uh, right," everyone said as one.

As they all began to file out of the impressive antechamber, Satoshi fell in step beside Ash and, with a soft tug on his sleeve, whispered, "Can I talk to you?"

Ash blinked in surprise, but he acquiesced all the same, feeling that now was a good chance at needling out whatever it was that was bothering Satoshi, "Yeah, sure."

Satoshi glanced at the others backs, ensuring that they were indeed not listening before turning back to Ash, eyes intent as he asked, "Ash, did you . . . hear anything back there?"

Ash's eyes widened at his question. He couldn't possibly mean . . .

"W-what do you mean?" Ash asked, cursing himself for the stupid stutter that slipped into his voice.

Satoshi opened his mouth to speak, closed it again, then sighed and shook his head, "Nevermind. It's probably nothing anyway."

He made to move ahead, but Ash grabbed his shoulder before he could escape, saying, "Hey, hold up. Something's been bugging you ever since we arrived at the Ruins. Can't you tell me what's wrong?"

"I just . . ." Satoshi seemed to war with himself over what to say, silent for quite some time before finally saying, "I just don't like this place, that's all. The sooner we get out of here, the better."

With that, he shrugged Ash's hand from his shoulder and walked ahead, leaving Ash to wonder just what was going on in the other boy's head the whole way back.

* * *

They reached the outside again in record time, Ash for one quite grateful to breathe in the fresh, clean air not tainted by the Ruins ancient dust. Even better, Satoshi's mood had also greatly improved once they finally left the Ruins, looking noticeably less anxious and pale than he had before.

"Feeling better?" Ash dared to venture, walking next to him.

"Much," Satoshi admitted, nodding slightly. Glancing Ash's way, he added, "Sorry if I said anything weird before. I was just . . . stressed, I guess."

"It's fine," Ash said with an easygoing smile, "Besides, exploring ruins isn't for everyone."

"Pikachu," Pikachu added.

"Maybe," Satoshi said softly, returning his attention to the front. Ash looked too, and blinked in surprise when he saw both Cilan and Iris looking back at the two with smiles on their faces.

"What?" Ash asked, puzzled.

Cilan's smile grew bigger as he held up a dismissive hand, "Oh, it's nothing Ash."

Iris giggled and turned away, Axew poking his head out of her hair to mumble a soft, "Ax."

Ash could only stare, thoroughly perplexed. "What was that about?"

Satoshi shrugged, "I don't know."

Their conversation came to a halt when the Professor's assistant went on ahead, giving them a cursory wave over his shoulder as he ran off, "Okay, I'll go get the analysis equipment!"

"That's great, thanks!" Professor Juniper cried appreciatively. Turning to his young charges, he said, "Now then . . ."

Everyone gathered close as he set down the case in his hands, popping the latches and pulling the two sides apart to reveal the rune-covered stone nestled in the soft folds within. Even Satoshi came to stand beside them, which Ash was pleased with. Now that he was out of the cave, maybe he would start having a bit more fun.

"So Professor, is this really the Light Stone?" Ash asked with interest, watching as the Professor examined it with a tiny, handheld microscope.

"Well, although I can't be one hundred percent certain without closer analysis of the molecular structure . . ." the Professor then pulled the microscope away from his eye, looking grave, "No, this is not the Light Stone."

All around him came gasps of alarm and shock, everyone staring openmouthed at the elderly man at this new revelation.

"Is something I can't say for sure just yet."

Once more, everyone hit the floor, the exasperation almost palpable as Ash and his friends shared a maddened groan.

Then, a thought occurred to Ash, "Hold on . . ."

"If he just told us there's no proof that it's _not_ the Light Stone . . ." Iris continued along the same train of thought.

"Then that means there's a good chance that it _is_ the Light Stone," Cilan finished.

Ash let those implications sink in slowly, absorbing this new possibility slowly, but excitedly. How cool would that be? The_ real_ Light Stone, right here in front of him! Oh, he hoped that that was the case.

"So what will you do with it if it really is the Light Stone?" that question came from Satoshi, who had crouched down to get a better look at the stone.

Professor Juniper smiled, "Ah, now that's the first question I've heard from you since we met! I was starting to think you weren't really interested in what was going on! Keep it up, and we'll make a fine junior archeologist out of you yet!"

Satoshi shuffled awkwardly on the balls of his feet as his eyes shot to the floor, mumbling, "Erm . . . thanks."

"All this time, and I still can't get over how different Satoshi is from you, Ash," Iris commented quietly, watching the display.

"Axew."

"Still, the fact that he's opening up to more people is a sure sign of progress on his part," Cilan remarked, looking pleased.

"To answer your question, however," the Professor continued, "I imagine that, should this prove to be the actual Light Stone and not a fake, it will go up in Unova's very own Museum of Ancient History. It will make for a wondrous addition, even earth-shattering considering it's importance in our world. But first, of course, I'll have to examine it, which is the truly exciting part!"

"Okay, so if you've really got the Light Stone," Ash interrupted, unable to hold back anymore, "How do you change it back into Reshiram?"

"I don't know just yet," the Professor admitted. Setting the stone back inside the case, he smiled and added, "But here's what the White Chapter of Pokemon mythology has to say!"

Getting comfortable, he began to recite, "When a person appears who searching deeply for the truth, Reshiram will appear. At first, Reshiram will battle with that person as a test of their strength and heart. And if it decides that person is a hero, it will pass on the wisdom it has accumulated over thousands of years, and then bare it's fangs against the hero's enemies. From that point on, Reshiram will treat the hero with kindness, as a parent would treat a child. But although the person called the hero will be able to attain great riches and power, the goodness in their heart will be lost-"

"And the country built by the hero will be consumed in flames."

Ash whirled around when he heard the familiar voice, shouting, "What was that?!"

"Pika?!"

And there, standing at the edge of the cliff behind them, was the familiar form of a young man who stared down at them with almost haughty green eyes, grimly declaiming from on high, "Then, Reshiram will depart."

Ash's eyes widened as he recognized him, shouting, "It's N!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu yelled, black eyes shimmering with surprise.

"Hey N, what are you doing here?" Ash asked, wondering why the other man had chosen now of all times to appear.

"I detected suspicious activity by Team Plasma," N explained, face completely impassive and controlled, "And, I sensed the presence of Reshiram."

"Could be the Light Stone," Iris guessed, glancing at the stone, "That sounds like it to me."

"Yes," N responded, nodding, "It seemed rather sad."

Closing the lid of the case, Professor Juniper glanced at them, "Who is this young man?"

Iris paused, pressing a finger to her chin as she said, "Well, uh . . ."

"I'm afraid it's kind of a long story," Cilan explained, holding his arms apologetically.

"He's N, and he's a friend of ours!" Ash said instantly, smiling.

By this time, Satoshi had stood up, gazing at N with curiously blank eyes. A very small, barely-there frown was on his face, and Ash wondered why that was. Was it because N was a stranger? Speaking of N, he must have noticed Satoshi by now, Ash was sure.

But instead of commenting on it, the young man simply continued, "Professor, I'm aware of who you are, and I'd like to know what your planning to do with the Light Stone."

Professor Juniper smiled, speaking as if it were the most obvious answer in the world, "I'm going to take my time and investigate it thoroughly! After all, Reshiram and the Light Stone are part of my life-long research!"

N's lowered his head, eyes becoming hidden by the rim of his cap as he spoke, "Oh, I see. Then there is nothing else to say."

With incredible speed, he suddenly leapt down from the cliff and landed right in front of the Professor, eyes shining with determination. Before anyone could even properly react and stop him, N reached down and snatched up the case carrying the Light Stone before bounding away from them once more, creating a great gulf of distance between them with ease.

Ash followed him some ways before stopping, genuine bewilderment in his voice as he asked, "N, wait! Why did you do that?"

"Pikapika!"

"I can't let Professor Juniper take this," was N's only explanation, face as unwavering as steel.

"Why can't you?" Iris asked, eyes narrowed.

A dark look crossed N's face, and he said, "Because long ago I witnessed Reshiram destroy team Plasma and fly away!"

Ash blinked and his mind flashbacked to that small house in the woods, where N had revealed some of his past to them. That was right, Reshiram had been involved. Was that why N was so determined to keep the stone away from them?

Staring at his unoccupied hand, he continued, "I've always wanted to ask Reshiram why. Why burn everything up like that?" clenching his hand into a fist, he said, "What was it so _angry _about? And what does it think of people?"

Silence had fallen over the group as they listened, even Ash remaining quiet as he absorbed what it was N said.

"Reshiram is bigger than life itself to me. And if it's angry at people, I want to quiet that anger," N allowed his hand to fall back to his side, voice taking on a strong hint of steel as he finished passionately, "I want all pokemon to live in freedom. I want to know the truth and what it is that is wrong! I want Reshiram to show us the way."

"So why don't you work with Professor Juniper?" Ash demanded, eyes flashing.

"No!" N shouted back, "He confirmed what I suspected! The Light Stone is just an object of 'scientific interest' to him!"

At this, Professor Juniper stepped forward, yelling defensively, "That's not true!"

"Listen to him!" Cilan added pleadingly.

Then the Professor went and ruined his case, "Or maybe it is!"

Cilan's and Iris's face went blue from shock, nearly falling over at his statement. Iris, however, was quick to recollect herself, yelling in frustration, "Will you save that kind of talk for another time _PLEASE!_"

"Axewewew!" Axew shouted with her, irritated.

"This is how it has to be," N said, uncaring for their pleas.

Then he turned and bolted out across the field.

Ash took off after him, crying out in a vain attempt to stop him, "N, wait!"

A shadow appeared beside him, and Ash glanced over to see Satoshi was running as well, easily keeping pace with him as they ran. Behind him, he could hear the footsteps of his other friends as well.

Ash pushed on, eyes zeroing in on N's fleeing form, yelling, "N, come _back!_"

"Ash, please, just let it go!" N called from over his shoulder, not slowing down, "Give it up!"

"But N, I want to talk to you more about all this!" Ash shouted, trying to run just a little bit faster in order to catch up. If only they could just talk this out, then maybe-

And then the ground beneath Ash's' foot cracked and shattered, and all thought fled from his mind as he was suddenly plunged into the black abyss that had suddenly opened up beneath his feet.

"WAAAH!" he screamed, frantically trying to grab hold of something, anything, to keep from falling.

A tight, vice-like grip suddenly appeared around his wrist, thankfully stopping his terrifying plummet before it truly began. Below him, Ash could see the stones of the floor vanish into the darkness below, and he shuddered. That . . . had been way too close.

Tearing his eyes away from pit, he looked up and saw that Satoshi was the one who had grabbed him, though the other boy was hardly in a better position; he was almost in the pit too, the only thing stopping them both from falling being the ledge Satoshi had been able to grab a hold at the last second. But Satoshi's face was strained, his arms trembling with exertion as he struggled to hold on.

"Pikapi?" Ash looked over and saw that Pikachu was thankfully still clinging to his shoulder, eyes shining with concern and worry as he stared at his trainer.

"I'm okay, buddy," Ash quickly reassured him before turning to Satoshi, "Hey, Satoshi, just hold on, okay!"

"Trying," Satoshi said through gritted teeth.

A rustle of movement from overhead, and Ash watched with relief as N's face appeared over the edge of the hole, yelling, "It's okay, don't move!"

He'd reached down to help pull Satoshi up, when another loud crack assaulted Ash's ears.

_Oh no . . ._

The floor beneath N's feet also collapsed, along with the ledge Satoshi had been clinging to, sending them all tumbling further into the pit. Above, he could hear the cries of his friends voices, though he couldn't make out what they said.

His body felt weightless, and Ash could only watch as the light started to slip further away from him.

_Is this it?_ he couldn't help but think.

Then Satoshi's hold on his wrist tightened, and Ash felt his weightless form shift as Satoshi twisted around in the air like a cat (dragging Ash with him) before suddenly_ throwing_ him up into the air, back towards the edge of the hole. Back towards safety.

"WHOA!" Ash cried, arms flailing as he tried to catch hold of any nook or cranny he could reach. But alas, his fingers only brushed the edge before he felt himself start to drop all over again.

Then another hand clasped tight around his wrist, holding on firmly to keep him from falling. Ash looked up, startled, only for his eyes to widen when he saw who his rescuer was.

It was N.

Gratitude swelled up from within, and Ash breathed out a shaky, yet relieved, "Thank you, N!"

But then, a new thought crossed Ash's mind, and the relief was replaced by fear; where was Satoshi?

Ash's eyes immediately fell back to the pit under his swaying feet, seeing darkness, the occasionally vine, and crumbling stone. But of Satoshi, there was no sign.

Fingers involuntarily tightening on N's wrist, Ash yelled desperately, "SATOSHI!"

"PIKACHU!" Pikachu cried as well, their voices echoing down the length of the deep, seemingly never-ending cavity.

But there was no answer. None at all.

A sudden jolt made Ash return his gaze up, and he saw the strained look on N's face as he struggled to hold on. Then there was another sharp snap, and the stone beneath N's fingers splintered to dust and sent them spiraling down into darkness.

And this time, no one was there to save them.

* * *

"Pikapi . . ."

That was the first thing Ash heard as consciousness returned, and he groaned as he opened his eyes, wincing as his head pounded. His vision blurred for a second, then focused, and Ash felt relief when he saw Pikachu standing faithfully by his side, smiling wanly as he said, "Hey Pikachu. Thank goodness you didn't get hurt."

"Pikachu," Pikachu replied, happy to see his trainer awake and unharmed.

A shadow moved above Pikachu, and Ash's eyes darted over the mouse pokemon's head to see that Satoshi was sitting beside him as well, looking no worse for wear than Ash felt, which wasn't terrible.

Rapidly sitting up despite the protest of his back, he shouted exuberantly, "Satoshi, you're okay! I'm so glad!"

Satoshi nodded, his face appearing soft despite the harsh shadows around him, "I am. I'm glad you see you okay too."

Ash allowed himself to laugh, almost forgetting their situation entirely in the wake of his relief. But as it subsided, Ash did remember just what had happened before waking up, and, with a jolt, he looked around and asked, "Hey where's N?"

"I'm right here!"

Ash looked to his right and felt his shoulders sag in relief when he saw N emerge from the shadows beyond, the young man looking perfectly fine save for his slightly sullied clothes.

"Ash, are you hurt?" N asked, looking the boy over with a careful eye.

Ash smiled, "No, I'm fine. Thanks for trying to save me!" he glanced at Satoshi, "And you too, Satoshi."

Satoshi shuffled on his knees and looked down at his folded hands, mumbling, "Don't mention it."

"Oh please, I really didn't do anything," N said humbly, "We were awfully lucky that the sand cushioned our fall."

Another thought struck Ash, and he leaned forward, asking, "What happened to the Light Stone?"

"The Light Stone landed over there," N said, gesturing with his chin to a large mound of sand that rose a short distance away. On the very top of dune, Ash could see a vivid orange glow. The Light Stone.

"It seems we tumbled down here through that hole," N continued, pointing.

Ash followed his direction, but to his horror, he saw that the hole they had fallen in through had at some point collapsed, leaving on a wall of fractured rock behind, "It's blocked by rocks!"

"True," N said, "Unfortunately, it doesn't look like there's any other way to get out of here, either."

Ash turned to face him, alarm seeping into his every poor as he slowly, even fearfully, inquired, "So . . . does that mean . . .?"

N nodded grimly, "Yes. We're trapped."

N strode up the sand dune, and Ash quickly followed, thoughts running as he tried to think of any means of getting out of this cave. Beside him, Satoshi was quiet, but his eyes seemed to gleam in the burnished light from the stone.

N carefully picked up the Light Stone from it's resting place, brushing away few particles of loose sand with care before tramping down to large slab of grey rock that protruded from the sand, gently setting it down and sitting beside it with his back pressed against the wall.

Ash sat down next to him, appreciating the glow of the Light Stone and the faint warmth it provided, clasping his hands together to ward of the cold. Pikachu perched on his shoulder, pressing against Ash's neck in an effort to keep warm as Satoshi slid down to rest beside them, the only one to look unperturbed by the chill. He didn't speak, but his eyes stared warily out into the darkness, and for the first time Ash noticed the tension that emanated from his body, like a wire pulled taut and thin.

Ash didn't get to ask what was bothering him, though, as N finally broke the silence, "I've been thinking a lot since I last saw you."

Ash turned to him, now fully attentive as he listened to N speak, "Why do Concordia and Anthea reject people like they do? And . . . why do pokemon love you as much as they do?"

At this, Ash tilted his head to one side, inquiring, "Love me?"

"I've been chasing after Team Plasma for such a long time, and have witnessed all kinds of relationships between people and pokemon," N said, leaning his head back against the stone, "People who treat pokemon like part of the family. People who work side by side with pokemon. And people who abandon their pokemon. To many relationships to count. But, unlike myself, Concordia and Anthea have never left their closed off world. I wish they'd learn more about the outside."

Ash frowned, "Hm."

"Pika . . ." Pikachu muttered somberly, ears low.

With a small smile, N abruptly reached over and gently plucked Pikachu off of Ash's shoulder, holding him up and saying, "C'mere Pikachu."

For a moment, Pikachu looked confused. Then, he smiled and chirped, "Pika!"

A look of contentment crossed N's face before gently setting Pikachu down on his lap, "I wanted to know why pokemon existed in our world in the first place," he placed Pikachu back on Ash's shoulder before leaning back and sighing, "What is there meaning? And what are they trying to tell us? Maybe there's a perfect place somewhere in the world where people and pokemon can live together in peace."

His eyes fell back to the Light Stone, and his face hardened, "But thinking of the Light Stone as nothing more than an object of 'scientific interest' shows that people still think of pokemon as creatures that only exist to serve their needs. And it's all because of the arrogance of people."

"Oh, come on . . ." Ash said softly.

"What, am I wrong?" N asked, and though his voice was not confrontational, the challenge was still there.

Ash's eyes narrowed, rising to the test and boldly declaring, "I don't know about any of that. All I know," he smiled at Pikachu, "is that my buddy Pikachu and all pokemon are friends that I care a lot about!"

"Pikpika!" Pikachu agreed, holding up a paw.

They both turned to look at N once more, waiting for his reply as silence grew between them. Eventually, it did come, but it was soft spoken and more to himself than to them, "Friends, indeed . . ."

"Yeah. Anytime I've been sad or happy or really mad about something, my pokemon have always been their by my side, through it all!" Ash said soulfully, every words from the heart. Looking back to N with a resolved gleam in his eyes, he smiled, "And that's why I want to learn more and more about pokemon. Cause they're my friends!"

So absorbed was he in trying to get N to come around, Ash failed to notice the small, sad frown that had slowly grown on Satoshi's face, a dark cloud of gloom encompassing his being as the conversation wore on.

N finally turned back to look at Ash, a spark appearing in his eyes, "And that's the reason?"

Ash nodded, "We learn as much as we can about pokemon, then that'll help us become better friends with them!"

"Pikachu!"

"So if it's true that Reshiram can be transformed from the Light Stone, I wanna become friends with it too!" Ash finished with a warm smile on his face.

Shocked astonishment appeared on N's face, "With Reshiram?"

After a moment of allowing that to sink in, N relented and finally smiled, and Ash's own smile grew wider at the sight. N finally understood what he meant. Maybe now he'd stop trying to run away all the time and actually talk with them and be _friends_, like how it should be!

"Pika?" Pikachu's curious call made Ash turn his head, giving his friend a puzzled glance only to see that Pikachu was looking behind him. Following his gaze, Ash saw Satoshi sitting as he had been before, only something seemed . . . different. He was sitting far too stiffly to possibly be comfortable, with a rigid spine and tense shoulders, his eyes seemingly glued to the floor at his feet.

Ash lifted an eyebrow, turning around fully to face the other boy, "Hey Satoshi, what's up?"

Satoshi did not respond to his inquiry, making no sign he'd even heard him at all. In fact, looking closer, Ash noticed that his eyes looked . . . cloudy, as if his mind were somewhere else entirely. What was going on?

"This is . . . your brother, correct?"

Ash jumped a bit at the sound of N's voice, and he quickly looked at him, "U-uh, yeah, h-he is. But N, how did you know that?"

"We spoke for a bit before you woke up," N explained, "Granted, it wasn't much of a conversation, but I was able to glean some information from it."

Ash's eyes widened in surprise, "Wow. I'm surprised you were able to get him to talk at all."

"So this behavior is normal?" N asked, glancing at the still silent boy.

"Um, yeah," Ash said, scratching his cheek self-consciously, "Though, I'm not really sure what's bothering him right now."

"Hm," N hummed, and his eyes seemed strangely intent as he watched.

Turning back to the other boy, Ash reached out and placed a hand on Satoshi's shoulder, "Satoshi-?"

As soon as his fingers came in contact with the other boy, Satoshi let out a startled gasp and shot to his feet, the erratic motion nearly making him lose his balance. What was more worrying than that, however, was the look of utter panic that had etched itself out across his face.

Ash was on his own feet in an instant, feeling no small amount of alarm as he said, "Satoshi, what's the matter?"

"Pika?" Pikachu inquired, looking anxious.

Ash then made the rather unwise decision of trying to reach out to him again in an attempt to soothe, but all Satoshi's unfocused eyes seemed to see was an enemy. He jerked away from the hand coming towards him, only to stumble over his own feet and this time actually trip and fall.

Ash instinctively grabbed hold of Satoshi's hand to keep him from falling, when his own foot slipped in the loose sand and, with a cry, he went tumbling down the side of the dune along with the other boy, hitting the bottom of the mound with a muted thud.

"Ouch . . ." he groaned plaintively, voice muffled by the sand.

"Ash!" he heard N shout, which was quickly followed by the sound of running feet.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu mewled worriedly at his side, eyes shining in the frail light given off by the stone.

"I'm okay," he called out, sitting up with a wince. He shook his head, dislodging numerous particles of sand from his hair before turning around and crawling over to where Satoshi now sat, looking dazed.

Stopping a few inches away from Satoshi, Ash swallowed and slowly asked, "Satoshi? Are you okay?"

Satoshi blinked three times, one right after the other, and the cloudy, distracted look in his eyes melted away to be replaced by confusion, "Ash?"

Seeing the light return to his eyes gave Ash the confidence to inch a little closer, though this time he kept his hands to himself, "Yeah, it's me. Um, are you . . . feeling okay? You kinda wigged out on us for a bit."

"Pika . . ." Pikachu added, nodding.

Satoshi's eyes widened as realization flashed through his eyes, only to be followed by what Ash could only assume was _shame_ as he looked away, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean too."

"Hey, it's okay," Ash said honestly, smiling reassuringly, "Being stuck in this cave is probably just getting to you, is all. Remember how much you didn't like going into the ruins before?"

But Satoshi was shaking his head, frowning, "No. It's not quite like that. Something feels wrong down here. Really wrong."

Ash lifted an inquisitive eyebrow at this, wondering what Satoshi meant. And he wasn't the only one, as N asked, "What do you mean by 'wrong'?"

Satoshi wet his lips, looking unsure, "It's-"

But he didn't get to finish, because right then the entire ceiling shook forcefully, loose chunks of earth falling to the ground below as the sound of a distant explosion rattled the room they stood in. Ash stared up, feeling a sense of dread well up inside his stomach as he listened. Something was going on up top. And from the sound of it, it wasn't anything good.

"Did you hear that?" N asked after a tense moment, looking uneasy.

Ash gather Pikachu in his arms as he rose to his feet, listening intently as N continued, "Friends voices. Shouts. Could Team Plasma be the cause of this?"

Ash was immediately up in arms, determination burning away the dread as he shouted, "Come on, we gotta get out of here!"

"Pikapika!" Pikachu agreed, eyes flashing.

"Right," N said, nodding, "There has to be another way out. We've just gotta find it."

"Let's go!" Ash said before running out into the cave, determined to find an exit, or even make one, if he had too. Anything to get out of here and back to his friends. And as he threw himself into work in light of this new, troubling dilemma, it wasn't surprising that Ash let the incident with Satoshi slip from his mind.

But someone did remember, someone whose green eyes even now continued to observe Satoshi from a distance, pensive and intent.

* * *

Deep, deep in the darkness, in a place no human had breached for centuries until now, a single, simple thought rose up from it's slumber, small and frail but very much alive. For months now, it had slowly been feeding off the energy exuded from the humans working diligently around it, but only now was it truly finding sustenance. War was now raging on the outside of the ruins like a beast snarling behind the bars of it's cage, a hot-blooded, volatile pool of negative emotions that amalgamated together into fetid ball of nourishment.

Anger . . . greed . . . fear . . .

And as the fighting around it continued to grow and grow, that once-tiny thought soon blossomed into a conscious. A conscious that fed off the chaos, biding it's time until it's inevitable birth. Soon, very soon, it would be free.

And once that happened . . .

It laughed, a dark, yet strangely child-like sound that echoed from deep within it's own mind, rife with anticipation . . . and malice.

Another explosion ripped throughout the ancient ruin, and the egg-like object roosting at it's heart pulsated greedily, it's coal black surface shifting as the shadow within stirred to life.

* * *

Ooh. Wazzat?

I don't know, I guess we'll have to wait and see. :)

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this installment of Tenebrarum Reflexio! More to come!

Rate and review, if it pleases you.


	5. A Bad Feeling

Aaaaand there we go! We are still in episode chapters, yes! I'm sorry!

We will be out soon! :)

BTW, I'm sorry if things feel a bit disjointed right now. It's most likely because I'm trying to adapt entire episodes from only Ash's point of view, and it's kinda hard to condense everything into a cohesive order. Hey, you guys have all seen the show (I'm assuming anyway), you know how the episodes work. :P

Anyway, enjoy!

Obligatory Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

A Bad Feeling

Ash tried to pull up another rock in vain, muscles straining uselessly in an effort to find the exit they were searching for. They had had no luck so far, and Ash was increasingly aware that every moment spent trapped in this place meant the longer his friends remained in danger.

He'd given up on his latest endeavor and turned to inspect another area of the collapsed cavern when N came to work beside him, hands shifting diligently through the sand as he started to speak in a hushed tone, "Ash, could you tell me more about your brother?"

Ash paused in his work, feeling his spine involuntarily stiffen. Of all the times for N to get curious about something that wasn't Reshiram, and it had to be now and it had to be Satoshi. He and his friends hadn't worked out a solid backstory yet. And knowing how he was when it came to keeping secrets, Ash knew he ran the risk of flubbing something sooner or later. So, glancing at N with wide eyes, he tried to push the subject away from the other boy, "Why would you want to know stuff like that? Especially right now?"

N walked around the side of an upturned heap of rubble pressed against the wall, pushing a few loose stones aside to look for any holes, "Trust me, there is a reason. To be specific-" he glanced at where Satoshi was currently rooting through another heap of cracked stone before whispering, "Have things like that happened before?"

Ash stared at him, "Things . . . like what?"

"Things like what happened a few minutes ago," N explained, and Ash had to fight to keep from fidgeting. Yeah, that whole episode. He wish he knew the answer to that . . .

"Uh, well, the thing is . . ." Ash started slowly. Think of something, think of something!

It came in a flash, and Ash quickly said, "We haven't really seen each other in a while, actually. In fact, we only recently got back together about a week ago. What I'm trying to say is, is that this is kinda new to me too. A lot's changed, I guess."

"I see," N said slowly, eyes narrowed in contemplation. Oh, Ash hoped he bought it.

Had he been any other person, he would probably have wisely let the subject drop then. But being the curious person he was, he couldn't help but ask, "So anyway, why did you want to know?"

N's eyes trailed to the pillar nestled at an angle against the wall, running his hands over the ancient symbols carved into the rock before saying, "What he said before, about something being wrong in this place . . . he was right."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ash asked, stopping his work entirely to look at N with his undivided attention.

"I can't exactly describe it," N said, furrowed eyebrows even more sharply defined by the shadows cast by the Light Stone, "It's more a bad feeling than anything else . . . but something does feel off down here. The air feels heavier, and though we are underground, it seems darker than it should be. To be honest, I hadn't really given it much credence before, but after listening to Satoshi, I've started to wonder."

N's spine straightened and he abruptly turned around, eyes going straight to the ceiling, staring at it intensely as if he could see through the stone, effectively ending the conversation. Knowing something was up, Ash ran up to his side, questioning, "N! Do you hear something?"

He nodded grimly, never once taking his eyes away from the roof, "The situation's getting worse up there."

"Huh?" Ash asked, apprehension growing exponentially after hearing that.

N frowned, a hint of anger stealing it's way into his voice as he spoke, "All my friends . . . I can hear their desperate crying."

"Okay, then we better move it!" Ash said resolutely, eyes glimmering with determination.

"Pika!"

"Yes, let's hurry," N agreed, returning to his search with new motivation in his steps.

Ash threw himself back into searching with a reinvigorated sense of urgency, but as time wore on, he began to grow frustrated as it became apparent there were no other exits aside from the one they had come in through. And that one was blocked off . . .

"This isn't working . . ." he mumbled with a frown, taking a break on a fallen, half-broken pillar.

"Pikachu . . ." Pikachu nodded glumly, having explored every nook and cranny he could squeeze into only to return empty-handed.

"There aren't any other ways out," Ash glanced at Satoshi, who'd come to sit beside him. In his hands he carried a piece of fractured stone, one end having splintered into a sharp, jagged point that he continuously ran his fingers over. The gold material of his ring glittered expressively against the backdrop of grey rock and dark shadows, gleaming in the illumination granted by the Light Stone.

_Something feels wrong down here . . ._

Ash frowned at the remembered words, which had taken on another level of poignancy after what N had told him. He couldn't feel anything himself. To Ash, it was just a dank, dark, and cold cave. But he knew better than to dismiss what he himself couldn't sense, and because of that, he couldn't help but wonder . . . what exactly _was_ down here. And even so . . . did he really want to know?

All the same, he couldn't let that idle curiosity distract him from their main goal. And though at times Satoshi still seemed uneasy, for the most part he had remained composed, working just as diligently as the rest of them. Whatever it was that had bothered him before seemed to have eased off for now, and hopefully they would get out of here before anything like that happened again.

Which brought Ash back to the conversation at hand, so, with a rather unamused stare, he said, "Yeah, we figured. But we can't give up yet! Our friends are in trouble and they need our help!"

"Pikachu!" the mouse pokemon at his side added with a flick of his tail.

"I wasn't saying we should give up. I'm saying we should think about this differently," Satoshi said, turning to him, "We can't find an exit, so what should we do?"

Ash sat back, contemplating Satoshi's words. Think of something different?

We can't find an exit, yeah, Ash knew that now. So that really only left one option. If they couldn't find an exit . . .

"Then we'll just have to make one!" Ash replied with a smile, curling his hand into a determined fist.

"Bingo," Satoshi replied, and, with an agile flick of his wrist, he tossed the stone in his hands Ash's way.

"Wah!" Ash cried as he fumbled to catch the rock, juggling it to and fro before he finally managed to hold onto it properly. Looking it over, it soon dawned on Ash just what Satoshi meant, and he turned back to the boy with a grin, "Okay, let's get to it!"

Thus began their long, painstaking endeavor of chipping away at the hard packed dirt with whatever sharp object they could find, and it wasn't long until sweat started to bead Ash's forehead despite the cool conditions of the cave. Still, he did not let up, determined to break out of this cavern if it was the last thing he did! N soon noticed what they were doing as well and, once filling him in on the idea, he was quick to agree that it was their best option right now.

Taking a small breather in order to wipe some of the perspiration away, he glanced over at his two companions. Satoshi was still picking away at the wall with single-minded relentlessness, but Ash frowned when he saw that N, on the other hand, had completely stopped, hands and forehead pressed against the wall, eyes glazed over as if he were in a trance. Concerned, he made his way over to him, calling out with a soft, "N?"

"Uh?!" N started, having snapped out of whatever state he'd been in.

"Are you sensing things out there again?" Ash asked.

" . . . I'm not," was N's slow response, He shook his head, voice quavering, "In fact, I can't sense anything."

"Huh?" Ash asked, genuinely stunned. How could that be possible?

"Pika?" Pikachu inquired, ears pricked up in full now. Beside him, Satoshi had lowered the sharp stone in his hands, eyes now focused solely on N as he listened.

"I could hear their screams echoing loudly in my head," N said, half to them and half to himself, as if he were still trying to convince himself that this was indeed happening, "But now, everything's quiet."

After a moment of silence, Ash spoke up, "You know N, Professor Juniper's dad has taught us a whole lot of stuff! He has all these rules that he calls the 'Adventure Rules'!"

N finally turned away from the wall, eyeing Ash with puzzled curiosity as he asked, "Adventure Rules?"

"Yeah!" Ash responded with a smile. Holding up a finger, he began to recite what he'd learned like a teacher to a student, "Lesson number four: you never give up until the very end! Because there's always gotta be a way out!"

He looked at N, hoping the message he was trying to send reached him, "You get it? We're not giving up until the very end!"

Going back to his original digging spot, he grabbed his picking stone and said, "So let's dig! And get outta here!"

"Pikapika!" Pikachu encouraged, then both he and Ash went back to chipping at the hard earth, each strike digging them just a little bit further out of this pit. Satoshi did likewise, giving one last glance N's way before doing so.

"Pech!" Pikachu's pained yelp had Ash stop what he was doing, looking over to see that Pikachu had stopped digging and was staring forlornly and his scratched paws, murmuring, "Pika . . ."

While he didn't have any ointment on him for Pikachu's paws, the sight did give Ash an idea, "Oh yeah, I forgot!"

Reaching down, he skillfully plucked all the pokeballs from his belt and held them up, smiling, "Let's get everybody to help us out!"

With that, he threw all the pokeballs up into the air, and, one by one, the cavern become slowly filled with new shapes as his pokemon all lined up in order, ready to help.

"Oshawott!" Oshawott said briskly as he placed a small paw to his chest, smiling self assuredly.

"Pignite!" Pignite cried as he materialized beside the scallop pokemon. With a grunt, he exhaled a bout of flames, which did a pretty good job of adding some extra light and scaring the heck out of Oshawott.

"Snivy," Snivy said as she appeared, examining her new surroundings curiously.

"Krooko. Dile," Were Krookodile laidback words, crossing his scaly arms over his chest as he waited for orders, glasses shining.

And last, but certainly not least, was Charizard, who reared up and fanned his wings, breathing out a tongue of flame as he roared.

"Okay," Ash said, getting everyone's attention, "We wanna get out of here, so will you give us a hand?"

The agreement was unanimous, everyone circling up and preparing a plan of action as they all set out to figure out how best to solve their predicament. It never failed to make Ash proud. To Ash's delight, an agreement was quickly reached, with the pokemon all sharing a nod and setting themselves into their chosen positions. And, as soon as Charizard flew into the air, Ash wisely beckoned for everyone to stand out of the way as they got to work.

Oshawott went first, body becoming outlined in a bright blue glow as he clapped his paws together and sent out a torrent of water at the wall, giving it a good and thorough soak, "Osh-a-_wott_!"

Ash smiled, "Hey, great idea! That water will make the dirt a lot softer, so it's easier to use dig!"

"Pikachu!"

Next was Krookodile, who flexed his claws once before diving headfirst into the dirt, tearing through it as if it were little more than wet paper, clearing away vast mounds of earth in mere seconds, "Krookodile!"

"Awesome Krookodile!" Ash cheered, "You know, nobody uses dig better than _you_!"

"Pika!" Pikachu cried, holding up a heartening paw.

"ROOAAR!" Charizard bellowed as he flew up into the air, his tail lighting with a familiar glow as he prepared to use Dragon Tail. Spinning his tail around in a manner not unlike a helicopter, he dropped from the sky and slammed tail-first into the mound, leaving a huge, gaping hole in it's place.

"Way to go, Charizard!" Ash yelled, holding up a victorious fist.

Pignite then landed beside the two, smiling as he began to heave away armfuls of dirt at a time with powerful thrusts of his hands, working diligently as Ash said, "Great stuff Pignite!"

Snivy was doing her own thing as well, using her vines to toss out dirt at a rapid-fire pace, "Snivy!"

"Nice work Snivy!" Ash said approvingly.

Spurred on by his companions efforts, Pikachu took to the field himself, tail taking on a distinctly metallic hue before turning around and scooping out dirt with his tail, easily slicing through the stone with the helpful use of his Iron Tail, "Pikachu!"

"Osha! Oshawott!" Oshawott called, holding up a paw to gesture at the tunnel they were forming.

With a smile, Ash quickly turned his cap backwards and ran forward, "Of course I'll help! I'm comin'!"

Soon, they were all knee-deep in dirt, but with all their efforts, Ash was pleased to see that they were finally making some real progress. A shadow appeared on his left, and Ash looked over and smiled when he saw that Satoshi had joined their efforts. He glanced at Ash, gave him a nod, then returned industriously to work, the most energized as Ash had ever seen him.

"Keep it up everyone!" he called out encouragingly, digging through the dirt himself with his hands.

Soon after, another figure stepped beside Ash, and he looked to see N had also joined in, digging with just as much vigor as the rest. Ash smiled and returned to his task, knowing that finally, they were getting somewhere.

_Soon guys_, he thought, _I'm almost there!_

* * *

How long they traversed the dark underground, Ash couldn't even begin to guess. But when Krookodile finally punched through that final, offending stone blocking there way to freedom, Ash could safely say he had never been happier to see the sunshine.

Now all that remained was figuring out exactly what had happened during their absence.

"Krooko?" he heard Krookodile say, when suddenly he dove back down into the pit, yelping, "KROOKO!"

Charizard quickly took his place, busting through the small hole Krookodile had made and flying into the sky, roaring mightily. Everyone quickly filed out after him; Krookodile, Pignite, Oshawott, Snivy, Pikachu, and finally Ash himself. Clambering out of the hole, he savored the open air for only a moment before turning back to the hole. Satoshi had already climbed out, eyes flashing as he took stock of situation around them. Which just left one person.

Reaching down, Ash shouted, "N, we did it!"

"Yeah," N replied, accepting his hand and allowing Ash to help pull him up the rest of the way.

Now that everyone was safely out, Ash turned to face the new problem; Team Plasma. All around them, he could see grunts bearing their insignia, and in the distance, he could make out the forms of his friends, all of whom were clearly prisoners in the clutches of Team Plasma. Perched on top of the cliff overlooking the canyon below, he could see a familiar white-robed man standing behind the controls of an equally familiar (and dreaded) machine, glasses glinting dangerously in the light.

"Team Plasma!" Ash shouted, glaring.

"Of course. So it _was_ them after all," N said.

Beside the man on the machine, one of the grunts pointed, yelling loud enough for them to hear, "Liepard, use Shadow Ball!"

Behind them, several Liepards opened their mouths and unleashed an orb of swirling darkness at them, each one speeding across the terrain at amazing speed.

Ash held up his arm, yelling, "N, watch out!"

Charizard was immediately on it, planting himself between the two and the oncoming Shadow Balls, acting as a shield when they struck him square in the stomach. He roared in pain, doubling over as he clutched at his stomach with a violent cringe.

No reprieve was afforded the fire pokemon, however, as a nearby Golurk powered up it's own Shadow Ball, hurling it forward with a mighty swing of it's arm. Before Ash could react, the orb slammed hard into Charizard and sent the pokemon flying back, it's body slamming into the ground with a painful thud.

Pignite immediately ran to his friend's side, calling out frantically, "Pignite! Pig, Pignite!"

Another hail of Shadow Balls came flying at them from afar, but Pignite was having none of it. Eyes flashing angrily, he turned around and exhaled a powerful Flamethrower that decimated the Shadow Balls before they could even come close to their mark.

"Pig, Pignite?" Pignite asked, turning back to his fallen friend. Sitting up, Charizard growled a reassuring response, nodding.

Bolstered by their display of camaraderie, Ash quickly got his act together and threw out his command, "Alright! Now, Pignite! And Charizard! Double Flamethrower!"

Standing inside by side, the two pokemon unleashed the fire they held within, the two attacks twisting together into a single beam of writhing flames that blew back all the encroaching pokemon.

Seeing their enemies flee, Pignite and Charizard shared a look before simultaneously letting loose a howl of victory, sticking their arms in the air in cheer.

"Krooko," Krookodile said softly, watching the display. Then, with a customary _shing_ of his glasses, the croc pokemon jumped around so it's back was to the remaining pokemon who still stood, growling, "Krooko! Krookodile!"

Ash stared at him, wonder in his voice as he asked, "What Krookodile?"

Without pause, Krookodile dug his arms into the soil at his feet and began to hurl it so fast their was barely a break between them, the globs of dirt becoming a tide of earth and rock that covered their opponents in layers, blinding them. From the sidelines, Oshawott and Snivy shared an amazed gasp, when they both glanced at each other and saw a similar train of thought cross each other's eyes. With nod, they began to get to work.

"Your Dig's a lot stronger now," Ash complimented Krookodile, "That was some awesome stuff!"

"Krookodile," Krookodile said, flexing an arm.

"Oshawott!"

"Snivy!"

Looking down at his feet, Ash saw both pokemon staring up at him with an eager glint in their eyes. Only to happy to oblige, Ash smiled and shouted, "Sure! Oshawott, use Hydro Pump!"

"Oshawott!" the little scallop pokemon shouted, clapping his paws together and dousing the opposing team in a slick of ice cold water.

"Snivy, use Leaf Storm!" Ash ordered.

"Snivy!" Snivy cried, body taking on a distinctly green glow as ephemeral, razor sharp leaves surrounded her before sending them all at once to their attackers. The storm successfully blew down the Golurks, the fierce winds and batting leaves proving far too much for them to handle.

All five pokemon stepped forward in a line, hands placed triumphantly on their hips and wearing their pride or all to see.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouted, commending his allies full stop.

Their celebration was short-lived, however, as Iris's desperate voice echoed from across the field, yelling, "Ash! Quick! Get everyone back in their pokeballs! Hurry up, or they'll be controlled!"

"What? Controlled?" Ash echoed, spinning around to see that the machine on the hill was beginning to glow with an ominous light.

Ash glared, gritting his teeth before running his hands over his belt and grabbing two pokeballs lodged there. Holding them up, he shouted, "Charizard, Krookodile, return!"

The stunned faces of his pokemon were lost as their bodies dissolved into a formless red light, which was quickly sucked into the pokeballs. A sudden disturbance on the hill grabbed Ash's attention, he looked up to see _Looker_, of all people, running full throttle at the scientist on the machine.

"No you don't!" he heard him yell, brandishing a worn metal pipe like a bat as he ran.

"Quick! Stop him!" was an order barked by one of the grunts, and three of the goons ran and intercepted Looker before he could reach his target. Struggling valiantly, he looked down at Ash and shouted, "Go Ash! Now's your chance!"

Ash nodded in understanding and quickly grabbed his pokeballs in rapid-fire succession, yelling, "Right! Pignite, return! Oshawott, return! Snivy, you too!"

Once they were all safely inside, Ash breathed a sigh of relief, "We made it. Just fine," Storing them on his belt, he smiled, "Can't control them now!"

Then Ash looked up, and saw what he had missed.

"Pikachu?"

The machine thrummed and crackled, the light reflected on it's metallic surface intensifying. Behind it, the scientist smiled.

_Oh no,_ was Ash's only thought as he began to run towards Pikachu. He had to get there first. Whatever else happened, he had to get there first!

Pikachu began to move towards him too, and time seemed to stand still as they reached for each other. Then the machine fired, the crystalline ray shooting through the air as it made a beeline for Pikachu.

And he was still too far away! He wouldn't reach him in time!

Then, like a bolt of lightning, Satoshi shot past him at a speed Ash didn't think was possible for a human to achieve before hurling himself forward and flinging Pikachu out of the way just in the nick of time. Not even a moment later did the laser strike, but instead of it's intended target, it hit Satoshi's hand instead. But that was fine. Satoshi was a human, and thus was unable to be a victim of the machine's mind control.

But the relief Ash felt for Pikachu's safety quickly took a nosedive into alarm when Satoshi let out a sudden but very distressing cry of pain, hitting the ground with a thud before curling into a fetal potion, one hand clasped tightly over the other as his whole body shook from what Ash could only assume was pain.

"Satoshi!" Ash cried, practically sliding across the ground as he ran to his friend's side. What had happened? What was wrong?!

"Pikapi!" Pikachu shouted, frantically running to the boy's side and hovering by his shoulder worriedly.

And then, Ash saw it.

His ring. Satoshi's ring was sparking wildly, randomly, as if a small battle was taking place on it's golden surface right at this very moment. And with every spark it released, another whimper of pain would escape from Satoshi's lips. What was wrong with it? The laser couldn't have caused this, could it?

N dropped beside him, eyes shining with concern, "Is he alright?"

"I-I don't know!" Ash said, thinking desperately for what to do. He could try removing the ring. Maybe that would stop it from hurting Satoshi.

He had to try!

But when he reached down to pry it off, the ring sparked once more and suddenly lost all of it's tangibility, becoming little more than dark blue haze around his finger. Then the coiled energy shifted and reformed on his palm and, with a sudden release of fractured light, the gem Ash had seen on the night they'd found him was resting in his open hand, glowing just as brilliantly as it had then.

Above the group, watching with deeply fascinated eyes, Colress continued to scan the source of the energy disturbance, finding the results quite peculiar, but _very_ interesting.

"A most unusual energy signature," he mused quietly, reading the words that appeared with fervor. Hm, the reading seemed to be emanating from the boy who'd been hit by the EM wave. An interesting reaction, he had to admit. Since the waves were attuned to pokemon specifically, it should have had no affect on him. And yet . . .

With an intrigued smile, he turned to Barret, "Once this problem is sorted out, do me a favor and bring that boy on the ground to me. I have a few questions I would very much like to ask him."

Eyes falling back on that elusive Pikachu, he hummed, "But first . . ."

Back down below, Ash stared at the jewel, dazzled by it's beauty, but he quickly shook himself away from his fixated state in order to look Satoshi over. His breathing was haggard and he seemed to have fallen unconscious, but the violent tremors that had wracked him before had faded away.

"Pikachu . . ." Pikachu said softly, eyes glowing with concern.

"W-what is that?" Ash froze at the sound of N's amazed voice, remembering too late that N still knew nothing of Satoshi's true predicament.

But now wasn't the time for explanations, "It's complicated. Right now we have to take care of Team Plasma!"

N seemed like he wanted to protest, when sense overcame his curiosity and he nodded, "Right."

"Be . . . hin . . ."

Ash started and looked down, seeing Satoshi gazing up at him through half-lidded, tired eyes.

"Satoshi!" Ash shouted, "Are you okay?"

Satoshi struggled to speak, voice weak and hoarse, but he was still strong enough to say, "Behind . . . you . . ."

_ Behind you._

Ash and N both whirled around at the same time, only to see the blinding glare of the machine as it powered up for another attack. Without thinking, Ash stuck out his hand in order to push Pikachu behind him, when a voice rang out, "Now Liepard, use Shadow Ball!"

He only just turned in time to see the dark orb coming at him before it hit him square in the chest, knocking the wind from his lungs and sending him careening off to the side, "AH!"

N was in no better position, landing hard on the ground next to him with a pained, "ULGH!"

"Pikapi!" Pikachu shouted.

Then the mind compelling laser was blitzing through the air once more. And this time, no one was there to intercept it.

Before Ash's very eyes, the laser struck Pikachu square in the head.

"Pikachu!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, pushing himself to his feet despite the pain and running at his friend. But by the time he reached him, it was too late. With eyes that burned a crimson red, Pikachu dropped to all fours and growled at him, fangs bared as he glowered ferociously.

"Oh no . . ." Ash muttered, staring in horror. In a desperate attempt to reach his friend, he called out, "Pikachu!"

Pikachu only responded with another growl, making it clear that it was going to take more than just words to reach him. Then, his ears pricked up and he turned, cheeks and tailing sparking as he turned to face his new chosen victims.

Ash's friends.

"Pi-ka-CHU!" A bolt of electric energy jolted across the field and viciously struck the ground at his friends feet, each of them crying out as they were sent flying back. He continued to chase them, relentless in his hunt, and Ash finally could take no more.

"Pikachu, STOP!" he cried, running in front of the brainwashed pokemon to keep him from attacking his friends.

"Pika? _Pika_," Pikachu growled, glaring wrathfully at him.

Well . . . it was now or never.

Lowering his arms, he gave Pikachu a smile, voice calm and sincere, "Hey buddy."

He stepped forward, each one careful and slow, so as not to anger Pikachu further. His friend was in there somewhere, Ash knew. He just had to find him.

Pikachu's eyes glowed brighter for a brief moment, irises becoming lost in a flash of red when, with a cry, his body lit up like a bulb as he unleashed another Thunderbolt. And this one aimed solely at Ash.

The bolt struck true, and Ash screamed as pain wracked his entire body from head to toe. Unlike Pikachu's other, simpler shocks, this one was aimed to hurt. And hurt it did, very much so. But Ash refused to give up. He would _never_ give up on his friend, no matter how much it hurt!

When at last it ended, Ash fell to his knees, yellow sparks flitting off his electrified clothes with soft _zaps_. He only stayed down for a moment, forcing himself to stand back up as he spoke, voice hoarse, "Come on, Pikachu, it's me. Don't you know me? Buddy?"

He walked forward again, holding out his arms as if to embrace him, "It's alright. I promise!"

With a final effort, he gently touched the sides of the pokemon's face, saying gently, "Pikachu."

And then Ash's entire world was lost in a blur of pain and yellow light, and then everything went dark.

* * *

When Ash finally came too, he found that he was still laying on the cold, hard ground where he'd fallen, except this time, he was all alone. A weight was on his chest, making it slightly difficult to breathe. His head pounded and his whole body ached, no doubt a result of Pikachu's Thunderbolt . . .

Pikachu . . . _Pikachu!_

Craning his neck up, he saw with relief that the small mouse pokemon was resting on his chest, still with him and _safe_. And when he looked into the pokemon's eyes, he saw that they were free from the cruel red light of Team Plasma's machine, and they were staring at him with open and unabashed concern.

"Pikapi?" he asked hesitantly, looking ashamed.

But Ash was nothing except relieved, "Pikachu, you're back!"

He placed a hand on top of Pikachu's head, stroking it comfortingly, and a small smile broke out on the mouse pokemon's face as he accepted the affection.

The moment was short-lived, because soon they both became aware of what was happening around them. Sitting up, Ash saw that things had really gone downhill. His friends and the Professor were all still trapped, Team Plasma grunts were everywhere to be seen, and all the pokemon not stowed within a pokeball were all under their control. Fortunately, all their attention was directed at a dais up on the hill, meaning he was relatively safe for now. The man responsible for the brainwashing had moved up closer as well, still standing safely behind his machine with his arms folded neatly behind his back. Two grunts stood at his side, and between them Ash could see the slumped over form of Satoshi, his arms pinned to his sides by one of those large metal bands he'd seen on his friends. In the distance, right by the dais, he could see N being held captive before a man who looked every bit like an evil villain, from the full body cloak he wore, to the red eyepeice, to the very ornate staff he carried. In the man's hand was the Light Stone. Could he be . . . Team Plasma's leader?

"N?" he asked to himself, rising to his feet.

"Pika?" Pikachu echoed.

A brilliant surge of red light drew his eyes to back to the raised dais at the top of the hill. The Light Stone had flared out luminously, as if it were alive, and an impeding sense of doom started to pervade Ash's being as he watched.

Things were about to go very wrong. And he didn't know if he would make it time to stop it.

* * *

_More . . . more . . . more . . ._

In the shadows below the ruins, the darkness shifted and a single _crack_ echoed throughout the silence.

* * *

Ooooh. Things are about to go down, it looks like.

What'll happen next? Stay-tuned to find out!

You know, for the shit you've already seen! :D

Ah, I'm just kidding. Rate and review, if you like. Or follow and favorite, if that's more your thing.

Peace!


	6. The Wrath of Gods

Good lord, I am just popping these thing out like crazy! And at the cost of neglecting my other poor story. Oops.

Oh well. I'll get back to that one eventually. For now, though, A new chapter of Tenebrarum Reflexio yeah! This is also the last episode chapter, yeah! Then we move on to the truly juicy stuff.~

Obligatory Disclaimer: I own nothing at all.

* * *

The Wrath of Gods

Ash continued to observe the spectacle before him, doing his best to remain undetected as he inched forward bit by bit. He had to find some way of freeing his friends, and then find a way to get the stone away from Team Plasma. The question was how to go about doing that without getting caught himself.

That idea was quick to leave him, however, when he saw the red glow from the Light Stone intensify before it began to rise into the air, casting the ground in lurid crimson shadows.

And judging from that victorious smirk on the caped man's face, Ash could guess that things were about to take a turn for the phenomenally worse. So, throwing caution to the wind, he stood up and shouted as loudly as he could, "Team Plasma, STOP!"

And then, before he could even blink, a haze of thick, roiling fog suddenly materialized around him, blanketing the ruins in a veil of cold gray mist that hid everything from sight. But his confusion quickly changed to remembrance. That's right. He had seen this before!

"It's Concordia and Anthea!" Ash said, "They must have come to rescue N!"

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.

From the mist, Ash heard the echo of two voices that seemed to have no beginning or end, but he recognized them as the voices of the women who had saved them before.

"N . . ." one whispered, who Ash recognized at Anthea, "Your heart has been stained."

"What exactly has happened to you?" And Concordia as well, and her deep voice resonated throughout the mist.

And over the veil of fog, although he couldn't see him, Ash heard N yell, "Concordia! Anthea! Listen to me! Team Plasma is trying to awaken Reshiram! If they're successful, the tragedy that occurred years ago will surely be repeated! Reshiram was filled with so much rage! I have to find out why. If not, we'll never be able to understand each other!"

The sounds of a fight broke out, of grunts and scuffling shoes that broke N's speech. However, whatever it was that had happened, it did not stop him, "Without understanding-!"

Two sharp cries followed by the sound of bodies hitting the ground punctuated N's words, "People and pokemon are _doomed_! Doomed without a future! I want Reshiram to believe in humanity!"

Above, Ash saw the faint glimmer of red intensify, shafts of light starting to pierce through the mist like crimson daggers.

"N, return with us!" Anthea insisted.

"We cannot afford to lose you!" Concordia pleaded.

"I will _not_ run away!" Was N's brazen response, "If you really want pokemon to be happy, then battle with us, side by side!"

Two pairs of glowing eyes shone through the thick fog, eyes that Ash instantly recognized, "It's Gardevior and Gothitelle!"

But help was not to be, for as soon as they revealed themselves a sharp, familiar ray of light cut through the fog and hit the two before they could defend themselves, and Ash watched, horrified, as the blue of their eyes slowly changed to red, "Oh no!"

"Alright! Now use your powers in the service of Team Plasma!" was the cry that resounded through the fog, which quickly dissipated as the two controlled pokemon dispelled the mist. Then, they turned on Concordia and Anthea, who stood on the rock behind them, blasting the stone away with two powerful psychic attacks that tore the rock to ribbons and sending both women hurtling to the floor.

And things only grew worse. The fiery sheaves of flame that wound around the Light Stone abruptly ended, the embers remaining dotting the air like glowing ciphers. The Light Stone became wrapped in gyrating ball of fire that swirled and shifted erratically, as if it would burst at any moment, and the man carrying the staff threw out his arm, calling, "Answer, Reshiram! We are waiting for your momentous return to our world!"

No sooner had the cry left his lips did the orb of flame contort and suddenly expand out, washing the ground with orange light and heat as it began to morph and grow. And then from the twisting flame rose the huge shape of a dragon-like entity, it's piercing roar being heard for miles around as it fanned it's feathered wings, awake and alive once more.

This was Reshiram.

"Reshiram!" N cried, running forward and holding out his arms to get the pokemon's attention. The legendary beast responded, landing with an enormous thud before the young man, staring at him with intense blue eyes that seemed to peer into his very soul.

The leader, Ash assumed, took a step forward, smirking with faux affability as he spoke, "Reshiram, welcome! I am Ghetsis. I have been anxiously awaiting your return!"

The great dragon pokemon turned to face the man, letting loose another incensed shriek that made Ash wince.

"I expected you'd be angry," the man, Ghetsis, said. Then he held up his staff and pointed it at the dragon, proclaiming audaciously, "But that doesn't matter! You shall be my weapon!"

Reshiram roared again, looking this close to blasting Ghetsis off the side of the ruins when another laser shot through the air and, to Ash's dismay, hit the pokemon right in the cheek. Reshiram's roar turned into a shriek of pain, jerking left and right and rising into the air as it tried to stave off Team Plasma's mind control. But alas, it proved to be in vain, as the blue of it's eyes soon took on a vile red hue that told everyone that it had lost the fight and it's free will.

Slamming the end of his staff into the ground, Ghetsis held out his hand and ordered, "Hear me Reshiram. By order of Team Plasma, I command you to engulf those people in flames!"

Reshiram roared as it's entire body was engulfed in flames, the powerful winds kicked up by it's wings even blowing Ghetsis back as it sent the fire wheeling around it to the front, the writhing flames slamming hard into the ground below and knocking N off his feet.

It didn't let up, roaring again and sending another wave of fire that scorched the ground, the burning heat so strong even Ash felt it from where he stood. He covered his face with his arms as the winds tore viciously at his clothes, and he could hear the soft sizzle of embers as they brushed against body. And things only grew worse from there, Reshriam's ferocious fireballs destroying entire portions of the old ruin while the wind kicked up in the aftermath leveled everything else, and it was all Ash could do just to find cover with Pikachu tucked safely under his arm. This power . . . it was incredible! And so very dangerous in the hands of villains like Team Plasma. Somehow, someway, this had to end.

Peeking over the top of the boulder he hid behind, Ash felt his heart drop at the sight of devastation caused by Reshiram's rage. Ancient buildings, once tall and proud despite their age, had been pounded to dust while great scores had practically rent the earth in two, the destruction punctuated by small fires that belched across the landscape and making it look even worse. Fortunately, he also saw that his friends had all managed to find shelter as well, ducking behind boulders that refused to budge even in the tempest that surrounded. But they were far from safe, if Reshiram's continuous firestorm was anything to go by. Ash gritted his teeth, watching the legendary pokemon fly overhead, hearing it's maddened roars even over the screaming wind. He had to break that mind control somehow!

A shape suddenly dropped next to him, startling Ash and nearly making him jump foolishly out into Reshiram's line of fire until he finally saw who it was.

"Satoshi!" Ash shouted, surprised.

"Pikapi!"

Satoshi nodded once in confirmation, black hair whipping wildly around his face as he pressed his back against the boulder. He looked no worse for wear, but his arms were still pinned in place by that ridiculous metal band around his torso.

"How'd you get over here?" Ash couldn't stop himself from asking, genuinely curious how the boy had overcome the vicious cyclone that was raging around them without getting blown off his feet.

"The grunts watching me got thrown for a loop, and the good doctor was too busy studying Reshiram to notice me, so I was able to slip away," Satoshi explained as if it were the simplest thing in the world, "And I just used the rocks as cover until I got to you."

"Uh-huh," Ash said. Then he smiled, "Well, I'm glad to see you're okay!"

Satoshi nodded, when another blast of smoke and wind blew over the tops of their heads, obscuring the sky from sight. Ash closed his eyes at the sting from the smoke, coughing as it entered his lungs.

Satoshi peered over the edge of the rock, eyes narrowed as he observed Reshiram, "This much anger . . . it's not natural, or good."

Ash shook his head as he turned to gaze at the enraged legendary, "No, it isn't. Which is why we have to stop Team Plasma, no matter what!"

Satoshi nodded in agreement as he ducked back behind the relative safety of the rock. With a glance at the brace encircling Satoshi's torso, Ash nodded his head toward it, saying, "But first, what do you say we get that band off ya?"

"That would be nice," Satoshi admitted, wiggling his arms as emphasis.

"Pikachu?" Ash prompted, and the mouse pokemon smiled and nodded in understanding.

Lifting his tail high, Ash watched as the yellow fur took on a familiar grey hue, the length of it gleaming like a sword.

"Pi-ka-CHU!" Pikachu cried as leapt and spun in the air, bringing the edge of his tail down hard on the band and leaving a huge crack in it's surface. With a shudder and a snap, the metallic brace completely broke in two, the inert pieces clattering to the floor at his feet.

"Thanks," Satoshi said, rubbing his shoulders to get the blood flowing again.

"Pikachu," Pikachu said, nodding.

Looking over the edge of their temporary shelter, Ash noticed that the intensity of Reshiram's assault was starting to ebb. The harsh winds from before were starting to die down, and the heat was slowly subsiding. But Reshiram's eyes still glowed with malice, and it wouldn't be long before he attacked again. And all around, Ash could see his friends and a few others begin to fight back against Team Plasma, despite the fact that they were woefully outnumbered.

With gritted teeth, Ash said, "We've gotta do something. Our friends, the pokemon! We've gotta rescue all of them!"

"Pika!" Pikachu said in agreement, climbing back onto his shoulder.

"Well, now's our chance," Satoshi said, rising to his feet. But he'd only taken a step when he groaned and stumbled, bracing a hand against the boulder beside him and leaning against it.

"Satoshi?!" Ash asked in alarm, rushing over to his side and placing a steadying hand on his shoulder.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu questioned, concerned.

In a flash, Ash remembered and said, "That's right, you got hit by that laser!"

"I'm fine," Satoshi quickly said, "Just a little tired."

Ash frowned, eyes narrowing into a doubtful stare, "You don't look like you're fine to me."

Pikachu frowned as well, murmuring, "Pika . . ."

"I'll be fine," Satoshi insisted stubbornly, pushing himself back to his feet, "Besides, we have bigger things to worry about."

Ash was not convinced by Satoshi's claim, but he could see his point, "Okay, but don't do anything to strain yourself, okay?"

"Pika!" Pikachu insisted as well.

Satoshi lowered his head and said nothing, but after a moment he did give them a nod of agreement.

Then, a nearby voice said, "Ash . . ."

Ash turned to see where the voice had come from, only to see three familiar shapes appear from behind the crumbling wall of a once standing building; N, Anthea, and Concordia, all of whom looked apprehensive and deeply troubled.

"N!" Ash shouted, .

Several deep growls sounded off beside them, and everyone whiled around to see that the overturned buildings and rocks come to life with the lithe forms of Liepards. Their red eyes glowed hatefully, fangs bared into a series vicious snarls.

Nearby, a masked woman wearing the uniform of Team Plasma crossed her arms, scoffing condescendingly, "Still trying to get in our way."

Ash wasn't about to give them the satisfaction of victory, however, "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Pika!" Pikachu yelled affirmatively before leaping high into the air, sparks of electricity flying off his coat. With an incensed cry, the static intensified and a bolt of yellow lightning arced from his body, chasing the Liepards away as they dove to dodge it, "Pi-ka-_CHU!_"

With a growl, another member brought his hand to his ear, saying none too quietly, "Doctor Colress! Aim the Pokemon Control Device at Pikachu!"

Alarmed, Ash's eyes shot to where he'd last seen the doctor and his machine, only to see that the man was fiddling with the controls, the parabolic dish lowering as it took aim. Without any hesitance on his part, he jumped boldly in front of Pikachu, declaring, "I'm gonna protect Pikachu, no matter what!"

This actually got the doctor's attention, even though it was little more than a haughty smirk and a few condescending words, "That's so foolish of you. Sacrificing yourself for your friend won't do you _any _good."

Satoshi came to stand beside him, eyes flashing despite the weariness that still shadowed his face, "Are you really so sure about that?"

The doctor's smirk grew wider, "Quite. You don't have to worry, however. After all, I still have a few questions I'd like to ask you about this gem of yours."

The doctor held up a hand, and a faint glimmer of blue caught Ash's eye. A stunned gasp escaped him before he could smother it, gaping in astonishment at what he saw.

_That's Satoshi's gem!_

And he knew he wasn't seeing things. The gilded jewel glinted in the light as the doctor casually rolled it between his thumb and index finger, as clear as the sky was blue, and Ash couldn't stop himself from glancing at Satoshi's hand only to see that it was completely bare. His ring was gone.

Gritting his teeth, Ash thought self-deprecatingly, _Why didn't I notice that it was missing sooner?!_

Evidently, Satoshi hadn't noticed either, because his other hand quickly reached around to grab the one where his ring would have normally been as he stared in very visible shock at the gem in the man's hand, "H-how-?!"

The man seemed pleased by his surprise, "While you were unconscious, obviously. From what I've been able to glean from it so far, it's quite fascinating, I must say!" Holding the gem up to examine it closer, he continued, "Once our work here is done, I greatly look forward to seeing what secrets I can uncover. It's quite a pleasant bonus, especially after today's success."

The words seemed to ignite something in Satoshi's very soul, because at that moment all that shock very quickly, very suddenly, melted into a look of pure and unfettered _fury_. His shoulders started to shake and he ground his teeth together with what looked like an almost painful amount of force as he glared, and Ash could see then that it was taking almost every ounce of Satoshi's self-control to keep from lunging at the man right then and there.

"How dare you," he hissed, taking a single, intimidating step forward, "How _dare_ you touch that!"

The change was so drastic and sudden even Ash felt a tiny spark of fear burn in his heart. Seeing that much anger, on his_ own_ face . . . it wasn't right.

"Pikapi . . ." Pikachu murmured, face grave as he stared at Satoshi from his position on the floor.

The doctor merely shrugged, unmoved by Satoshi's anger, when the gem in his hand suddenly gave off a stronger glow, casting rough shadows of blue light along the machine's metallic surface before fading back to it's original state. The doctor gave a fascinated hum, "How interesting . . ."

"Give. It. _Back!_" Satoshi all but snarled, so irate that it seemed his hair was actually standing on end. The gem gave off another intensified glow, then faded back to normal, much to Ash's mystification. Was it . . . reacting to Satoshi's emotions?

"Satoshi . . ." Ash murmured, unnerved by what he was witnessing.

But the doctor only held up a dismissive hand, slipping the gem back into his coat pocket as he said, "I'm sorry, but I simply can't do that. Now . . ."

The machine suddenly thrummed with power and the dish began to glow, static humming across it's surface as it prepared to fire. Mind flying back to the man's original goal, Ash quickly placed his foot in front of Pikachu, prepared to do whatever it took to protect him.

That was when a shadow suddenly darted in front of the two, a shadow that Ash very quickly recognized as they laughed tauntingly and performed a perfect handstand to throw the good doctor off, "Yo!"

"_Meowth?!_" Ash asked, more than a little amazed by his sudden appearance.

"Pika?!" Pikachu shouted, jumping back onto Ash's shoulder.

Hopping back onto his feet, he pointed at the two, shouting, "Thaaat's _right!_"

Evidently, Team Plasma knew him as well, "A talking Meowth! From Team Rocket!"

With a devious smirk, Meowth unsheathed his claws running full kilter at the man, "You're gonna love this!"

With an impressive display of speed, Meowth bowled the man over with a well-aimed swipe of his claws before spinning around and kicking an attacking Liepard right in the face, knocking it back to the floor. After that, he proceeded to absolutely demolish the remaining Liepards, which scared the remaining grunts enough that they all turned tail and fled. Landing back on the ground with poise, Meowth held up a claw and blew on it, looking pleased and more than a little smug.

But that didn't answer the important question, "Why are_ you_ helping us?"

"Don't sweat it!" Meowth shouted as he ran past them, laughing. Ducking behind slab of scorched stone, he yelled, "Hide! You and your Twerpy double!"

Ash would have cringed at knowledge that Team Rocket knew about Satoshi, had the circumstances allowed for it. But, glancing behind him and seeing his rather limited options, he knew it best to ignore it for now and, swallowing his confusion, said, "Right. Come on Satoshi!"

But Satoshi didn't move, eyes still locked almost predatorily on the doctor controlling the machine. Ash grabbed his wrist, pulling him back with him despite the difficulty Satoshi's resistance presented, "Satoshi, let's _go_!"

Satoshi glanced at Ash over his shoulder, looking like he was about to refuse, when his arm went slack and he sighed, "Fine . . ."

Ash smiled and quickly pulled the other boy after him, following the cat pokemon to the shelter of some charred boulders. Once they had hidden as well, Satoshi just behind him, Meowth pumped up his arms and said with a jolly smile, "This Twerp-helper is gonna give you one shot!"

Ash nodded in understanding, "I gotcha. And thanks for the help."

"Pikapika," Pikachu also said, also extending his gratitude.

"But," Ash said, looking around, "Where are the other two?"

Pointing rather exuberantly, Meowth replied, "With the International Police!"

And indeed, when Ash turned to look, he saw three familiar shapes standing side by side right on the border of the destruction, confidence in their postures and determination in their eyes.

"Looker!" Ash cried, seeing the gray haired man as well. What was he doing with Team Rocket, of all people?

Meowth, sensing his confusion, explained, "We're all workin' together to destroy that device!"

"In that case, I'll lure them away," Ash said, finding the sentiment nothing if not noble. Plucking Pikachu from his shoulder and gently setting him on the ground, he said, "K Pikachu, you stay here. If they see you, they'll try to control you again."

Pikachu pressed his ears to his head, clearing displeased with the idea, "Pika . . ."

"Now don't worry about a thing, buddy," Ash said encouragingly, "We're gonna protect you."

He glanced at Satoshi, who was still standing calmly by his side. Ash would have liked him to help, but after being hit by that laser, he didn't feel comfortable putting the other boy in a situation where he could become overtaxed and potentially get hurt. And after seeing that rage on his face . . . there was really no telling what he might do.

So instead, he said, "Satoshi, you should stay with Pikachu. That way you two can watch each other's backs."

Satoshi's eyes widened just slightly at his proposition, and he began to protest, "But-"

Ash interrupted him, "And don't worry. I promise I'll get your gem back too!"

Satoshi fell silent, eyes falling to the floor between them. Ash knew he was still unhappy with the choice (he would be too), but hopefully Satoshi would believe in him and his promise.

The sound of rustling clothes and shuffling feet made Ash turn his head to the left, where he saw N, Anthea, and Concordia emerge from behind the protection of a blasted stone wall.

"Hey, Ash," N said, placing a hand against the top of the dilapidated wall.

"N!" standing up, Ash looked him dead in the eye and said, "Team Rocket and I are gonna destroy that device! You should stay here and protect everybody."

"But how are you going to destroy it?" N asked, looking trapped between disbelief and hope.

"It's being protected by a bunch of brainwashed pokemon!" Meowth added.

"Then we'll just force our way in!" Ash said.

And, without a second thought to his own safety, Ash hunkered down and then abruptly took off across the field, running as fast as he could to the army that stood between him and the machine.

"Pikapi!" he heard Pikachu cry.

"Are you nuts, Twerp?" Meowth called out from behind him.

"Ash, don't do it!" he heard Iris's voice float over to him in the distance, sounding afraid.

"It's too dangerous!" Looker shouted.

Ash paid them all no heed, running with single-minded determination even as a host Gurdurrs, Conkeldurrs, Golurks, and Liepards surrounded him and barred his path. In the distance, he could make out the glowing forms of Gothitelle and Gardevior, eyes lost in a burning crimson haze.

"PIKAPI!"

Ash spun around when he heard the cry, seeing that Pikachu had thrown caution to the wind and was running as fast as his paws could carry him. Shaking his head, Ash shouted, "No Pikachu!"

But Pikachu was having none of it, barking a sharp, yet unwavering, "Pikapika!"

Seeing that he wasn't going to listen, Ash let a smile grace his face as he said, "Okay, if you're not gonna stay hidden, then use Quick Attack and move fast!"

"Pika!" Pikachu said affirmatively before charging forward so fast all Ash could see was a yellow streak that zipped along the ground, moving at a breakneck pace as he began to throw the other pokemon for a loop.

Ash jumped back as a Golurk slammed it's fist into the ground where he had been standing, sending a shower of rock and dust into the air around it. Ash couldn't breathe yet though, as another Golurk moved up behind him, fist raised as it prepared to smash him into the stone. He ran to the right, narrowly dodging it's fist. But the shockwave of it's blow made him stumble and nearly trip, and the Golurk was quick to seize the opportunity to grab him.

But before it could, an orb of twisting energy slammed hard into it's back, making it howl as it was sent toppling to the floor.

With a smile, Ash shouted, "That was Dragon Rage!"

No sooner had the dust cleared did Ash see who was responsible for it, too. With a grin, Iris gave him a thumbs up, "You just leave this to us, Ash!"

"Axewew!" Axew called from his perch on her shoulder.

The words had only just left her mouth when a surge of Gurdurrs and Conkeldurrs began stampeding in her direction, slabs of concrete raised high over their heads, when suddenly a saw blade made of ephemeral blue light and orb of dark energy sped down from the sky and slammed into the host with an explosion, knocking them all down.

In the distance, Ash saw both Jesse and James watching from afar, a Yamask and a Woobat hovering triumphantly in front of them.

But already Team Plasma was remobilizing, the pokemon clambering back to their feet as the grunts took up positions around them, and Ash knew the battle was far from over.

"We'll handle these jerks," Jesse shouted, looking nothing except confident.

"Just long enough for you to give me the works!" James finished in that stylistic flair Team Rocket had mastered.

Claws flashing, Meowth barked, "Make me proud a you, Twerps!"

"Now Ash and Pikachu, go!" Iris yelled encouragingly, Axew waving his arms to cheer them on, "Axew!"

"Right!" Ash shouted. Turning around and continuing his run, he called out, "Come on Pikachu!"

"Pika!"

And the two were off once more, running side by side to where the machine currently stood, fearless and unwavering in their goal.

"Reshiram, get them!"

Overhead, Reshiram let loose another terrible roar, descending from the clouds and landing right in front of both Ash and Pikachu, eyes blazing with incredible fury. Ash backpedaled, gritting his teeth as he looked for any way around the legendary beast. But there was none.

So instead, he decided to stand his ground, "Pikachu, use Electro Ball and aim for that device!"

"Pika!" Pikachu responded, leaping into the air. Static wound around his body before it surged to the tip of his tail, where an orb of electrified energy began to grow until it was the size of an apple.

And then, three terrible words reached Ash's ears, "Lock on, completed!"

Ash could only watch in tense horror as another laser shot through the air, hurtling right towards his friend. But Pikachu saw it and, with a flip, slammed the Electro Ball formed on his tail right as the beam struck home, the ensuing explosion blocking them both from sight.

"PIKA!" Pikachu screamed as he was blown back, body sparking with static as he hit the ground with a harsh _thud_.

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled, running to his side and bending down to pick him.

The moment his fingers brushed against the pokemon's fur, however, he was suddenly blown back by a powerful discharge of electricity, the light so blindingly bright it hurt. He would have hit the ground, too, had it not been for a pair of arms that caught him in the midst of his fall and held him upright.

"Ash!" came N's unmistakable voice, the young man pushing back onto his feet.

But Ash's mind was elsewhere, already pulling himself out of N's hold as he shouted fearfully, "Pikachu!"

"Pika . . ." Pikachu gowned, face contorted in a pained grimace as the yellow light of his own electricity battled and merged with the blue glow of Team Plasma's machine. He struggled to his feet, panting and groaning but never once giving in.

"Amazing," N breathed in awe, "Pikachu is fighting the device. Fighting off the evil and trying to maintain control."

Ash barely turned his head at the sound of approaching feet, though he did hear Iris's voice as she called out worriedly, "Pikachu, fight!"

"You can do it!" Cilan shouted as well.

"Axew!"

Pikachu's eyes continued to flash between red and black, the battle for his mind still raging within, and Ash knew he had to speak up and reach his friend, no matter what, "Pikachu. You can't let the device beat you! You can win this! I _know_ you can!"

"My, my, you really like to dream, don't you," the doctor said from above with satisfied smirk, "My device is able to control the likes of Reshiram. What hope does your little Pikachu have of resisting it?"

But Pikachu wasn't done yet. In a display of pure will, he stood upright and slowly, jerkily turned around, marching forward with pained but resolute steps.

The doctor's eyes narrowed, unbelieving as he shouted, "Impossible! There's no way you can resist!"

"Pi . . . ka . . ." Pikachu ground out as he stopped before Reshiram, body trembling as he fought of the mind control. Then, muscles bunching beneath his fur, the static clinging to his body surged and grew as Pikachu used all of his power to form one last _defiant_ Thunderbolt, shouting at the top of his lungs, "_CHU_!"

Reshiram screamed as the Thunderbolt struck him dead on, the electricity coursing across his entire body as it thrashed it's head from side to side. It then leaned forward and roared again, eyes still burning red, but now Ash could see a glimmer of light there that had not been present before.

Ash's awed eyes never strayed from the conflict, not even as N spoke, "Reshiram. I can hear his voice! Reshiram's consciousness has returned. I sense great pain . . ."

"Huh?" Iris questioned, amazed, "Reshiram too?"

"It's trying to use Pikachu's Thunderbolt to escape the device's control!" Cilan clarified, looking awed.

As Reshiram continued it's struggle, Ghetsis strode up the cliff, voice loud and inflamed as he shouted, "Doctor Colress, what is the meaning of this?! Raise the output. You must take control of Pikachu!"

The machine glowed once more, it's static thrum louder than even the conflict below, and Ash feared it's attack when a shadow suddenly bolted out across the cliff, running full kilter towards Colress and the machine. Before the doctor could react, the figure grabbed hold of machine's side and, using the railing for balance, threw their legs over the top and slammed their feet toe-first into the doctor's sternum, sending him flying off the machine with a painted shout. There was a soft sparkle of blue, and Ash saw the gem fly from Colress's pocket and into the air, where the figure quickly grabbed it before it fell away. Landing in the space behind the controls, the figure then turned and looked down on them from their new perch, gaze collected and cool as they held up the jewel.

Ash's eyes widened when he recognized them, "Satoshi?!"

"What?!" Ghetsis roared, confusion giving way to anger as he glared at the boy. Satoshi retuned it in kind, as if daring him to try and take the device back.

But then the machine hummed, the dish ray lighting up to full power and, before Satoshi could even try to stop it, it fired another laser at Pikachu with a sharp, electric crack. The mouse pokemon screamed as it struck him right in the chest, almost falling back from the force of the hit, but he managed to regain his footing and remain upright, still stubbornly refusing to bow to it's control.

"Don't give up Pikachu!" Ash shouted, spurring his friend on.

"You've got to stay strong!" Iris yelled.

Pikachu stopped walking and glowered up at Ghetsis and the doctor, who both looked nothing short of amazed as he let loose another furious Thunderbolt into the sky, "Pi-ka-CHUU!"

"No. It can't be . . ." Colress said, his expression one of utter disbelief.

"Pikachu should be completely under out control!" Ghetsis shouted, enraged and bewildered all at once.

"Pikachu, can you hear my voice?" Ash shouted to his friend, hoping that his words reached him.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried, body still trembling as he fought off the mind control but coherent enough to still hear him.

Which was all Ash needed, "Destroy that device! Pikachu, use Electro Ball!"

"Pika pika! PI!" Pikachu shouted as he sent another glowing Electro Ball the machine's way, ignoring the pain driving relentlessly into his head to do Ash's bidding.

And he wasn't the only one. Overhead, Reshiram roared and spun around, an orb of condensed fire flying from it's open maw and careening straight towards the machine. Satoshi jumped well out of the way right as the two attacks slammed into the cliffside, kicking smoke and dirt and both rock and metal were crushed by the attacks. When at last the smoke cleared, all that remained of the accursed machine was a twisted, burnt metal shell that even now sparked it's last. Satoshi hovered near the wreckage, eyes locked on the remaining, meager forces of Team Plasma.

"Way to go!" Ash said victoriously, hand clenched into a fist.

And the results of it's destruction were already making themselves known. All around, Ash could see the evil red light leave the pokemons eyes, the stunned pokemon blinking and looking around in confusion as they were at last freed from Team Plasma's control.

"The pokemon!" Iris cried, looking delighted.

"Does that . . . mean we won?" N asked softly, staring in wonder at the events taking place around him.

Ash was already running to Pikachu's side, however, already seeing the bleu light fade away and the red of his eyes return to normal. Holding out his arms to the little pokemon, which Pikachu quickly and gladly jumped into, he cried, "You were awesome, Pikachu!"

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted as his trainer embraced, rubbing his cheek against Ash's own.

"Pikachu really did it!" Iris said, smiling widely.

"And with exquisite taste!" Cilan commented, pleased.

"I . . . I can't believe it," came the sound of Colress's distraught voice, "It can't be true. Impossible!"

"I guess it's something you'll never understand," N said with a satisfied smile on his face, and at the sight of Colress's confusion, he continued, "Nothing is stronger than the trust between Ash and his pokemon."

"My theories are indisputable," Colress rebuffed stubbornly, eyes obscured by the shine of his glasses. Rising to his feet, he cried, "I won't quit!"

Then Reshiram roared, flames licking off the side of it's white mane as embers began to flit around it's mouth, angered eyes locked solely on the two responsible for it's temporary imprisonment.

"Now what?" Ash asked.

"That voice!" N said, and a fearful note crept into his voice, "That fierce voice of rage."

"Incredible!" Colress shouted from on high, eyes on a long holographic pad in his hand, "Reshiram's power is far greater now than when I was controlling it! How can that be?"

Reshiram's tail began to light up with an orange glow, the air around it contorting with visible waves of heat that were quickly rising in temperature and volume. And then a plume of fire erupted from the white of it's tail, the flames jetting off in all directions and enveloping the pokemon in an aura of intense heat. It roared again, and this time an orb of azure energy coalesced in it's mouth before firing off into a bright and vivid beam that tore through ground as if it were paper, setting the buildings and plants aflame.

Ash coughed as smoke billowed out across the ruins, placing a hand over his mouth to keep from breathing in the fumes as N shouted, "Reshiram! Please, try to control your anger!"

Standing up himself, Ash yelled, "Reshiram! You've gotta listen to us!"

"We're not your enemies!" N insisted, and Ash felt a small flare of hope as the fires on it's tail began to die down, "People and pokemon can live peacefully, together!"

"Pikapika!" Pikachu added.

The great pokemon finally looked over to them, it's single eye seeming to pierce through their bodies and peering into their souls, weighing the truth of the words that they spoke. Taking a breath, N then stepped forward, continuing solemnly, "You must know our feelings. How we truly care about you, deep within our hearts. And that feeling will always be there!"

At last, the fire on Reshiram's body cooled and vanished, and the legendary dragon rose into the air with a mighty roar. But this one held no anger. Only an honest understanding.

Ash smiled, _N got to him. Good._

But Ghetsis wasn't done making trouble just yet. Holding out his staff, he barked, "Reshiram! This is unacceptable!"

Luckily for him, his cohorts actually had half a brain, and they quickly jumped on him and held him down, pleading, "Lord Ghetsis!"

"We must retreat!" another said.

But Looker was not about to let that happen, "Don't let them escape!"

Ash was already on it, grabbing one of his pokeballs and hurling it into the air, yelling, "Krookodile, Stone Edge!"

Krookodile appeared in a burst of light, and with a powerful sweep of his arms summoned several swirling circles of whirling stone before hurling them at Team Plasma, roaring, "Krookodile!"

And Ash's friends weren't far behind. Holding out his arm, Cilan immediately ordered, "Now Crustle, use Rockslide!"

"Crustle!" Crustle trilled as he lifted his claws into the sky, where several swirling green pools had appeared and began to drop several large boulders on Team Plasma's head, surrounding them in a barrier of stone, "Crust!"

"Dragonite, use Ice Beam!" Iris commanded as she hurled a pokeball into the air.

Dragonite emerged with a roar and a icy blast of focused energy that slammed into the ground around the villains, trapping them all in a large dome of glittering ice. With no way out, Team Plasma was as good as captured.

"Way to go Dragonite!" Iris yelled happily.

"Great teamwork!" Cilan commended, watching the pokemon high five each other.

Ash shared a pleased smile with Pikachu, when a soft scuffle made him turn his head. Satoshi was sliding down the slightly less steep side of the cliff, feet digging through the dirt and leaving a billowing trail of brown dust behind him. As soon as he hit the bottom, he broke into a jog heading in their direction.

"Hey Satoshi!" Ash greeted as the other boy drew near. Dropping his voice a bit, he asked, "You get your gem back?"

Satoshi nodded, looking pleased as he held it out for Ash to see.

Ash and Pikachu studied it for a moment, and Ash remembered the way it had pulsed and glowed in time with Satoshi's emotions. Which in turn reminded him of the rage he had seen in Satoshi's eyes, and he had to fight off a shudder. It wasn't that he couldn't understand the upset, but to get so _angry_ like that . . . whatever the gem was, mystical qualities aside, there must have been something else attached to it, something personal, to make Satoshi go off like that.

Idly, he wondered aloud, "I wonder why it's so important to you. I mean, there's gotta be a reason, right?"

Satoshi shrugged, and a slightly melancholic expression crossed his face, "There should be. I wish I knew what it was . . ."

Ash frowned and shared a disconcerted look with Pikachu, who had pressed his ears to his head as he whispered, "Pikachu."

Turning back to Satoshi, he placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled, "Well, there's no need to look so down about it! We'll figure it out eventually, you'll see!"

Satoshi blinked, as if taken aback, but then his eyes softened as an appreciative gleam entered them, "Yeah."

"Also," Ash added, a grateful smile growing on his face, "Thanks for protecting Pikachu back there. It really meant a lot to me when you did that."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu added. Bunching up his legs, he hopped off Ash's shoulder and onto Satoshi's, where he proceeded to give the boy a grateful rub of his cheek, "Chu!"

Satoshi held up a stunned hand, his fingers hovering over the pokemon's yellow fur and looking generally unsure about what to do. Pikachu fixed that indecision quick, though, balancing on his hind legs and pressing his face into Satoshi's palm with delight. Satoshi's eyes widened for a moment, then softened again as he started to stroke Pikachu's head, relaxing as the mouse pokemon soaked up his gentle ministrations. That was when, to Ash's surprise, a true, _genuine_ smile appeared on Satoshi's face, the first one Ash had ever seen.

The sight warmed Ash's heart, as well the hearts of his friends who were witnessing the scene as well.

Pulling his hand away, Satoshi quietly placed it over the gem still resting in his other hand, and Ash watched as a faint glimmer of light slipped through the faint cracks between his fingers before fading away. When Satoshi lifted his hand away, a golden ring was once again on his finger, the jewel nowhere to be seen.

The celebration was cut short when another roar echoed throughout the valley, and everyone turned to see Reshiram begin to fly away, wings spread wide as it flapped them to gain lift. Seeing the legendary about to depart, N ran forward, shouting pleadingly, "Reshiram, wait!"

And wait the pokemon did, hovering in the air as it turned to face the young man with it's intense blue eyes. Unshaken, N spoke, "I've always wanted to meet you. The last time I saw you, all I could feel from your heart was rage and anger."

Raising his voice, N stepped closer, "And even now, I can sense your anger! I have to know something!"

The great pokemon turned around completely this time, giving N it's undivided attention as he continued, "You saw the way we joined together, and battled evil here at these ruins! People and pokemon alike! How did you feel when you witnessed that?"

Silence reigned between the two as they stared each other down, and in that silence Pikachu quietly took the time to return to Ash's shoulder as the young boy took a step forward, eyes intent on the conversation taking place.

At last, N said, "I see. Thank you so much," closing his eyes, N continued earnestly, "The way we believe in pokemon, I'm wondering . . . if you could believe in people the same way? The world of truth that you want, and the ideal world for people. So, just like you, I'll keep fighting for the ideal world that all of us can live in!"

Reshiram's response a was a powerful, ear-piercing roar that seemed to shake the ruins themselves, when it turned away and began to fly into the sky, climbing higher and higher until it vanished into the blue above.

Cilan and Iris both came forward after that, Iris's eager question the one on everyone's minds, "So when Reshiram answered your question, what did it say?"

"Hm," N hummed thoughtfully, turning to them, "Well, how can I put it?"

Then Ash cut him off, "Aw, you don't have to tell us right now!"

"Huh?" Both Cilan and Iris said, turning to stare at their friend with baffled expressions on their faces.

Eyebrows furrowing at Ash's declaration, N asked, "Why is that?"

"Cause if I ever meet Reshiram again," Ash explained, holding up a fist as familiar spark appeared in his eyes, "I wanna ask it myself! That'll give us something to look forward too, right?"

"Pikachu!"

His friends gave him an amused smile, but the agreement was there nevertheless. Satisfied with that answer, N went over to his two friends, exchanging a few heartfelt words with them as the sun began to sink below the horizon.

"So what do you think will happen now?" Iris asked.

"Simple," Everyone turned to see Looker walking towards them, a pleased expression on his face, "Team Plasma will be taken into custody, those who need it will receive medical attention, and then we'll all go home and call it a day!"

Smiling, he gave them all a proud look, "Good work, you three."

Everyone returned the smile, soaking in the praise because hey, it wasn't everyday one stopped a villainous group from trying to take over the world. But that, also, was short-lived, as a more grave look appeared on Looker's face, "With that aside, Ash, I'd like to ask you about your 'brother'."

Oh boy . . .

Ash placed a hand on the back of his head, laughing somewhat nervously, "Well, it's a bit of a long story. Can we talk about it later?"

_Right after I've talked with my friends about it first_, he thought to himself.

"Oh, it's only a few simple questions. Can't be too hard to answer," Looker said easily, walking past him to the stand in front of Satoshi. The boy merely gave him a bland, disinterested stare.

Once Looker's back was turned, Ash shot his friends a panicked glance, which they returned in kind, neither knowing what to do without giving something away.

But he couldn't just sit by and watch this happen, because then it would _really_ become obvious that their story wasn't exactly straight.

"Uh, Looker, hold on," Ash said, holding up a hand to stop the agent.

That was when the ground beneath his feet gave off a low and ominous rumble.

Ash and everyone else who was present looked down, brow pinched together as he stared, "What was that?"

"An earthquake, perhaps?" Cilan offered, puzzled.

Then it happened again, stronger than before, enough so that bits of dust and loose stone began to fall from the dilapidated buildings around them, clattering to the floor where they lay, trembling violently.

"I don't think this is an earthquake!" Iris shouted, struggling to stay on her feet.

"Axew!" Axew cried, holding tightly onto Iris's hair.

A sharp, booming crack echoed across the field, like the sound of thunder across a stormy sky. Except not a dark cloud was to be seen, the twilight tinged sky as clear as it had been when they had first arrived. A soft breeze began to blow, one that continued to gain strength and speed until it whipped his hair and tore at his clothes. What was happening?!

"Pikapi!" Pikachu shouted, holding onto his shoulder as best he could.

"Hold on, Pikachu!" he shouted, shielding his eyes as the wind continued to howl.

_Everything should just die._

Ash started when he heard the voice, his heart starting to pound as he came to the conclusion that this time he had not imagined it. Beside him, he heard Iris shriek, "AH! What was that!?"

Spinning around to face her with wide eyes, he shouted, "You heard it too?"

"You mean you did, too?" Iris asked, stunned.

"I don't like this!" Cilan cried over the roaring winds, covering his face with his arms as the gust intensified.

"Ash!" he heard N's face only barely over the furious gale.

"We're okay!" he called back, unsure if his voice had made it back to him.

A hand on his wrist made him look over, and he saw Satoshi staring at him through the dusty wisps of wind that continued to blow between them, looking almost wild as he began to pull Ash in the opposite direction, "We have to leave! We have to leave NOW!"

Before he could question the other boy's frantic behavior, another crack assailed his ears and Ash's eyes unthinkingly fell back to the vista below. There, streaking out of the dust-born clouds like whips made of shadow, he saw several writhing arcs of black energy shoot up into the paling sky, the dark, wraithlike ropes twisting and bending at a frightening speed. And all of them emanated from a single point; the hole that he and N had fallen into. And rising from the hole, wrapped in the dark streams of energy that continued to thrash around it, was a single, small egg-like object, its surface as black as coal.

Ash felt his dread return.

_What-? _

The ground under his feet suddenly vanished, and before he could even register what was even happening, Ash soon found himself falling, falling, into the darkness below.

And out of all the screams he could hear accompanying him into the dark abyss that had suddenly appeared, only one voice stood out to him, a voice that giggled like a child as the sky above vanished from sight.

* * *

Oh daaamn! :O

Witches be happenin' up in here! What'll happen next?!

Stay tuned to find out!~ ;D

Rate and Review if it so delights you.


	7. Welcome to the Labyrinth

Heeeey! :)

Soooo . . . update! After so long, I know!

Hopefully the gratuitous length will make up for it's lateness. :)

And also, quick thanks to all my reviewers! You beautiful people, you. ;3

Obligatory Disclaimer: I own nothing. As per usual.

* * *

Welcome to the Labyrinth

"Oof!" Ash grunted as his back hit the ground with a soft thud, where he continued to lay for a few moments in a stunned daze, "Ugh . . ."

"Pikapi . . ." he heard Pikachu groan beside him, and the sound of his voice and the realization that he was here was enough to spur Ash out of his temporary dizziness.

Sitting up with a wince, he reached over to where the mouse pokemon lay sprawled out beside him and placed a concerned hand on his back, asking softly, "Pikachu, you okay?"

"Pika," Pikachu nodded, clambering back to his paws and giving his body a rough shake, "Priii!"

"That's good," Ash said with a relieved smile.

Standing up and brushing himself off, Pikachu hopping to his usual perch, he gave a cursory glance to his surroundings.

What he saw made him gape in wonder, shock, and confusion, for wherever he was, it certainly wasn't the Ruins. Or any place that could have existed naturally, at that. All around him, as far as the eyes could see, was a vast swathe of black, piney forest, the trunks all withered and frail with nary even a trace of green. No shrubby or other plant life covered the dirt strewn cobblestone that seemed to weave around every tree, the patchy rock forming a mosaic of black, grey and white that seemed to have no rhyme or reason to it. A few frail twigs were scattered about as well, but the dead kindling was hardly a respite from the stark, empty ground. Even stranger, here and there Ash could see the shapes of houses, some large and some small, that were interspersed amongst the trees, looking very out of place with their awkward, almost cartoon-y proportions and garish colors. In truth, the bright colors just made them seem even _more_ disturbing. The thin branches of the trees, without so much as a leaf to their name, all twined together to form a latticework of twisted, knobby wood over his head, the black boughs wound so tightly together that Ash couldn't even see the sky. It gave the already gloomy wood a very desolate and lonely feeling, made even worse by the utter _silence_ that seemed to dominate the forest floor. No birds twittered in the trees, no animals rustled the branches, and no talk echoed from the odd homes that dotted the ground. It made Ash uncomfortable. No place, no matter how empty, should ever be this silent. The air felt thick and heavy, too, perhaps due to the fact that it had nowhere to go, and every breath Ash took tasted stagnant and dry.

"Where . . . where are we?" Ash asked to no one, feeling the first flickers of fear begin to worm their way into his heart and he was unable to suppress a shudder at how _wrong_ this place felt.

"Pikachu . . ." Pikachu moaned, unconsciously pressing himself against Ash's neck. Ash brought up a hand and pressed it into Pikachu's warm fur, both as a means of giving comfort and receiving some in return.

This emptiness, this gloom . . . there was no way this was natural. But it couldn't be like this forever, could it? There had to be a way out! There had to be . . .

He didn't want to be alone in this place . . .

"Ash!"

Ash started and spun around, only to feel a powerful surge of relief when he saw Iris and Cilan running towards him through the trees. The sight of familiar, friendly faces in this dark, aberrant place made Ash's heart soar, and just like that, he felt his fear start to melt away.

"Iris, Cilan!" he cried, breaking into a run to meet them halfway.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouted, spirits bolstered by the sight of friends.

"Ash!" They both shouted back.

"Axew!"

"Thank goodness you guys are okay!" Ash said as they reunited, smiling joyfully. Both of them looked unhurt, if a bit shaken, but that was a feeling Ash both understood and sympathized with.

"I'll say!" Iris said, smiling from ear to ear and making her happiness no secret.

"Axewewew!" Axew agreed, finding courage enough to clamber out onto Iris's shoulder.

"It's good to see friendly faces in such an . . . unfamiliar place," Cilan gave an uncomfortable glance to their surroundings, which quickly pulled his two companions back to their unfortunate reality.

"Yeah, just where _are_ we, anyway?" Iris asked, folding her arms over her chest as if to ward off a chill, "And how did we even get here?"

"I have no idea," Ash admitted, shaking his head.

"The last thing I recall is that we were all celebrating the defeat of Team Plasma, there was an earthquake, and then . . ." Cilan furrowed his eyebrows together, then sighed, "Then I found myself here."

"That's all I remember too . . ." Iris said forlornly.

Ash thought back to the last memories he had before winding up here. Team Plasma had been taken care of, N got to speak with Reshiram, the earthquake like Cilan said, and then . . . and then . . .

A voice.

With a small gasp, he looked to his friends seriously, "Hey, do you guys remember hearing a voice, too?"

"A voice?" Iris asked. She thought for a moment, when her eyes suddenly widened, "Hey, you're right, I did hear a voice!"

"So all three of us heard it?" Cilan mused, pressing a thoughtful finger to his chin, "How odd . . ."

Iris shuffled, looking uneasy, "Oh, that's really creepy! And . . . some of the stuff it was saying . . ."

Ash swallowed nervously when he remembered the words, a cold knot tying in his stomach, "We need to get out of here."

"Agreed," Cilan said. Looking around, he frowned, "Though how we go about doing that may be a bit of a problem."

"Yeah, it's not like there are any landmarks we can really use here, except for the buildings," Iris said. Looking up over her head, she frowned, "And I can't climb up through the trees to see where we are, either. The branches are just too tightly woven together."

"Hm . . ." Cilan hummed thoughtfully, but no plan was forthcoming.

Ash gnawed on his bottom lip, but no idea came to him. Aside from marking where'd they had been before, there was no way for them track their progress. And it wasn't like they had a map. What could they do? Ash's eyes strayed over to one of the houses, eyebrows furrowed with contemplation. Maybe . . . they could try asking for directions? But the thought of going up to one of those creepy houses made Ash's stomach churn in discomfort. He'd honestly rather avoid them if he could. But then, what? What else was there for them to do?

Nearby, a twig snapped.

"AH!" Iris yelped before slapping a hand over her mouth, fighting back another scream as she whirled around. Axew dove back into her hair instantly, and the blue tresses shook as the little pokemon hidden within trembled. Cilan managed to not make any sound save for a small whimper, but his spine had gone completely rigid and his shoulders shook.

Ash ran in front of the two, heart pounding but putting on a brave face as he confronted whoever (or whatever) had emerged from the trees.

Brown eyes stared back into his own, and Ash very nearly dropped to the floor when he recognized who it was, "Satoshi!"

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted jubilantly.

"Oh thank gosh . . ." he heard Iris mutter, shoulders drooping and letting her arms hang limply by her sides.

"Talk about a heart-stopper . . ." Cilan sighed, placing a hand over his heart.

"Shh!" Everyone fell into silent confusion as Satoshi rapidly pressed a finger to his lips, telling them to be quiet. He then looked around warily, as if the trees could come to life at any moment, before coming over to Ash and grabbing his wrist, "Follow me. All of you."

It was not a choice he was giving them, and Ash sent a baffled look back to his friends, who could only give him clueless shrugs in response. Satoshi dragged them all into a fairly packed portion of the woods, a dense outcropping well out of sight of all the houses.

"Um, can someone please tell me why we're hiding?" Iris asked, flinching as a low hanging branch snagged the sleeve of her shirt.

"Yeah, what's the deal, Satoshi?" Ash asked, looking at the other boy in confusion.

"Pikachu?" Pikachu asked, tilting his head to one side.

He didn't answer right away, as he was too busy peering through the trunks and into the forest beyond, examining the area with almost hawklike intensity. Ash looked too, but he couldn't see anything save for the dark and gloom of the trees.

Growing impatient, Ash stepped forward to get the boy's attention, "Hey, Satoshi!"

Satoshi finally looked at him, and his eyes seemed to gleam in the dark.

"This is a bad place to be," he said slowly. Looking back to one of the small, awkward houses outside their hiding spot, he continued, "We have to find a way out of here soon, or we'll be in a lot of trouble."

"Do you . . ." Cilan started as his eyes widened in wonder, and he took a step closer to him, "Satoshi, do you know what's going on?"

Ash started when he understood what Cilan was getting at, and he looked at Satoshi for confirmation. Did he really know? He seemed to, more than any of them did. And, thinking about it, hadn't he tried telling them to get away once everything started to go wrong?

Satoshi looked away, right hand subconsciously clutching at his elbow as he frowned, "I . . . I might. At least, I feel like I _have_ seen this before. But I can't remember where from, or why."

Silently, almost unconsciously, his right hand traveled down the length of his arm and he gently ran his fingers over the ring he wore.

"Then, you should know a way out, right? Maybe?" Iris asked hopefully.

But those hopes were dashed as Satoshi solemnly shook his head, "No. I'm sorry."

Everyone's spirits fell with those words, the worry becoming almost palpable as it stewed in the silence. Ash frowned. If they allowed themselves to give up, then there would be no _way_ they'd ever be able to get out!

So, with a firm shake of his head, Ash looked up and said, "Hey guys, we can't give up just yet. There was a way into this place right? So there's gotta be a way out somewhere! We just have to find it!"

Everyone stared at him for a moment, when a fire appeared in Iris's eyes, "You're right! We can't let something like this get us down."

"Quite right," Cilan agreed with a nod, spirit rekindling, "Where there's a will, there's a way! And besides, it would be in bad taste to give up so soon!"

"Pikachu!"

"Axew!"

"Okay, so first things first, we need to start movin'!" Ash said.

The agreement was unanimous amongst his friends, who all shared an approving nod.

Satoshi, however, was hesitant, "Are you sure?"

Ash nodded, "I sure am! Besides, it's not like we're getting anything done by just standing here."

"Maybe that's true . . . but it's also true that it's really dangerous. I _know _that much," Satoshi said, and the emphasis on the word 'know' and the meaning behind it was not lost on Ash.

But he wasn't about to let that stop him, "Well, sure it is! But it's not like we haven't been in dangerous situations before."

"Yeah! I mean, we just got done wrangling with Team _Plasma_, it can't get much more dangerous than that!" Iris chipped in reasonably.

"Besides, so long as we have your instinct to guide us, I'm sure we'll be just fine!" Cilan added helpfully.

"See?" Ash inquired, "It'll be okay. Trust me!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said encouragingly, ears twitching.

Satoshi remained in a tentative silence for some time, contemplating their words before finally saying, "Alright. But let's move slowly. And quietly."

"You got it," Ash agreed with a wink, smiling and holding up a determined fist.

"WAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!"

The silence was immediately destroyed when three loud, piercing screams suddenly resounded throughout the forest, seeming to echo underneath the thick, woody canopy for miles.

"W-what was that?" Iris asked, face going pale.

"It sounded like it came from over there!" Cilan said, pointing to his right toward a patch of gnarled wood.

Not even a second later did they all hear the sounds of frantically running feet and see three familiar shapes burst out of the thicket, nearly stumbling over each other in their mad attempt to flee.

"It's Team Rocket!" Ash shouted, and he actually felt an incredible amount of surprise to see them here.

"What are they doing here?" Iris asked, astonishment taking the place of her fear.

But Cilan was the one who asked the important question, "And what are they running from?"

And that answer was also quickly given, as right then the wood behind the fleeing trio exploded into a shower of splinters, and a large creature Ash had never seen before slid into view. It's whole body resembled that of a squashed, almost mannish ape, with oversized arms that hung so low to the ground that it's thick knuckles dragged along the cobblestone at it's feet. In place of it's head, all he could see was a huge tribal mask made of polished bronze, with curved tusks and blank, empty eye sockets. It's movements were harsh and jerky, without any fluidity or grace, and it's fur looked like it was made of black . . . scribbles, as if someone had just taken a pencil and hastily drawn it in. It looked . . . wrong.

It couldn't be a pokemon . . . could it?

But the collective shrieks of Team Rocket quickly brought him back to reality.

"AHH! Y-Yamask, use Shadow Ball!" James shouted, voice taking on a higher pitch than was normal.

The ghost pokemon hovered into view, gathering streams of dark energy and firing it into the creature's face with a bang. It didn't look like it had done much damage though, leaving only a black smudge across the bronze nose of the mask.

"Woobat, teach this thing a lesson and use Air Slash!" Jessie shouted, keeping more composure than her two comrades if only through the power of her anger.

Woobat flapped it's wings and sent two glowing saw blades of light forward, which slashed into the creature's stomach and sides, but again, seemed to do little to nothing. The creature let out a low, deep groan, when it suddenly lifted one of it's brutish arms and slammed it into the ground at it's feet, crushing the stone to powder as a shockwave made the entire floor tremble. The force threw the trio to the ground, leaving them stunned and helpless before it. And already it was lifting it's other arm to finish them off . . .

"AH! This Meowth's too young to die!" Meowth cried piteously, covering his eyes with his paws.

"Is this the end of the line, Jessie?" James asked in fright.

"I hate to say it, but it might be!" Jessie admitted.

"It was good runnin' with yous guys while it lasted!" Meowth shouted as the creature's arm began to drop.

Ash was having none of it, "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

And evidently he wasn't the only one, "Axew, use Dragon Rage!"

"Pi-ka-CHU!" Pikachu cried as he unleashed a volley of electricity the creature's way.

"Ax-ew!" Axew shouted, mouth lighting up with energy before releasing it into an orb of swirling green light that raced over the cobblestone.

Both attacks merged together right as they slammed into the creature's gut, hitting it with enough force to send it flying back into the forest. The black wood was unable to support it's weight, and the feeble trunks snapped in half with an enormous clamor that seemed to ring forever through the gloomy dusk.

"Look at that!" James shouted.

"It's the Twerps!" Meowth cried, sounding shocked and relieved at the same time.

Ash ran over to them with his friends by his side, asking, "You guys alright?"

"Never better!" Meowth responded, hopping back to his feet, "But now I think it's time ta blow this joint before big, mean, and brawny gets up again!"

And he was right. Already the creature was climbing back on it's stumpy feet, grunting and groaning in an unintelligible gibberish that set Ash's teeth on edge.

"Come on, this way!" Satoshi called to them, gesturing to a deeper part of the woods before turning and breaking into a run.

That was when the creature let out a deep, guttural bellow that seemed to echo throughout the entire forest, shaking the trunks and branches and making Ash's blood run cold.

"Aaah, let's get _out of here!_" Iris yelled in fright.

"Right behind you!" James shouted in fear as he broke into a run.

"And right after me!" Jessie yelped as she sped past both of them, and it was amazing how her hair didn't snag on any low branches in the midst of her flight.

Everyone was very quick to follow their lead, keeping pace and eager to be away from the frightening beast that had attacked them. For once, nothing needed to be said, because it was all unanimously agreed that they'd rather be together than separated in this place.

Ash gave a quick glance over his shoulder to see if the creature was following them or not, relieved to see that it was still floundering in the trees. However . . .

He'd run far enough away for most of the houses to be obscured by the trunks by this point, but even from here, Ash could swear he saw the gaudily painted doors slowly start to open. But he eventually had to tear his eyes away in order to see where he was going, and as a result, he couldn't see what emerged from the strange homes in the woods.

But something told him, something innate and instinctual, that he didn't want to stick around long enough to find out.

* * *

They took a break in the relative safety of a shadowy dale, panting and thoroughly beat after their long run. Unfortunately, the woods seemed to never end, just stretching on and on as far as the eye could see. Which meant they were still trapped.

"We should be safe here," he heard Satoshi say, "For a little while, at least."

"Yeah, who exactly _are_ you, kid?" he heard Jessie ask irritably from where she leaned against the trunk of one of the trees, hands on her knees as she fought to catch her breath.

Satoshi gave her a glance, appearing untroubled by her sour attitude as Ash quickly cut in, "Uh, he's my brother."

"Huh, I didn't even know the Twerp had a brother," James commented to Meowth none too quietly.

The cat pokemon placed a paw to his head, face flat as he spoke, "Didn't we already come ta dat conclusion back at the Ruins?"

"Hey, you two, now's not the time for that!" Jessie reprimanded sharply.

"No, it's not," Satoshi interjected simply before turning his back on the trio to continue his vigil.

"And where do you get off telling us what to do, Twerp?!" Jessie demanded with a growl, face going an indignant shade of red as she pointed at him.

"Now, now, everyone settle down," Cilan intervened with a wave of his hands, "I know we're all a bit out of our element here, but we need to keep our heads if we want to figure out how to get out of this place."

"Yeah, so would you stop trying to pick a fight?" Iris admonished, placing her hands on her hips.

Jessie growled and looked like she was still quite ready to pick a fight when James intervened, "Now Jessie, maybe the Twerp's right-"

"Are you really siding with her over me?" Jessie demanded, now turning her wrathful stare on the man.

"Ain't no one sidin' with anyone Jess," Meowth said placatingly, "What James is tryin' ta say is that we're in a bit of a situation here, and arguin' ain't gonna help."

James nodded almost desperately, and after a moment of stewing silence, Jessie finally relented and let out an aggravated sigh, "Fine."

The immediate threat now sufficiently calmer than before, Cilan again decided to try and reason with the three, "Now that everyone's calmed down, let's talk about this reasonably. As Meowth said, we're all in a situation, and if we want to get out of it, I think it would be best to work together."

"I think he's right," Ash added, stepping forward.

"Yeah. Besides, weren't we all technically working together already before this happened?" Iris supplied.

Jessie placed her hands on her hips and seemed to mull it over, when she finally nodded, "I guess that's true. Fine, we'll keep working together, at least until we get out of here in one piece," Holding out her hand, she asked, "Truce?"

"Truce," All three of them said in agreement, and they and the rest of Team Rocket clasped their hands together to seal it.

"So, what do we do?" James asked, placing his hands on his hips once the truce was made.

"That's what we've been trying to figure out," Cilan replied honestly.

"One things for sure, though; we have to keep moving," Ash added, "And look for anything that could point to a way out."

"Well yeah, obviously," Jessie quipped, crossing her arms and leaning back against the trunk of nearby tree, the wood creaking ominously beneath her, "But how are we going to do that? I don't know about you Twerps, but I can hardly make heads or tails of this place."

"Uh, well . . ." Iris trailed off, scratching helplessly at her head.

The sound of a clearing throat got everyone's attention, and Ash looked down to see that Meowth had puffed his chest out and was smiling, "I think you're all thinkin' a bit too hard about the answer."

Lifting an inquiring eyebrow, Ash asked, "Meowth, do you have an idea?"

"Pikachu?" Pikachu questioned, ears up.

"Course I do! Any Meowth worth his salt's gotta have at least one good party trick up their sleeve!" Meowth replied. Holding up a paw, he said, "Now, watch closely."

Walking up to another one of the leafless trees, he held up a paw and flexed it, and Ash watched as three sharp, ivory tinted claws extended from the tip of each 'finger'. In reality, they were no sharper than normal, but in the deep shadow beneath by the sunless branches, they seemed to glint and shimmer with almost unnatural potency, looking like three sharp prongs of bright silver against the gloom.

With one, two, three easy swipes, Meowth left nine deep, intersecting grooves across the trunk, and Ash's eyes brightened as he understood, "I get it! Those are to mark where we've been, right?"

Meowth pointed at him, "Bingo!"

"Ah, so that way we'll know if we've backtracked!" James said.

"Alright, great job Meowth!" Jessie congratulated.

Meowth shrugged, waving a dismissive paw though Ash had no doubt in his mind that the cat enjoyed the praise, "Hey, don't sweat it."

"We should start heading out," Ash looked over at Satoshi, who had come down from his perch and had joined their little circle, "Before anything figures out we're here."

"Gotcha," Ash said, nodding.

"Yeah, I'm all for that," Iris commented, rubbing her arms, "The sooner we get out of here, the better."

_Crack._

That sound was the only warning any of them got when the branches overhead began to violently shudder and shake, and three black, shadowy shapes suddenly swung down into view.

They were not the same brutish creature they'd seen before, but that did not make them any less disturbing. Their limbs were gangly and thin, like those of a spider, and unlike the creature from before, the beasts before them lacked any sort of musculature or fur. Their movements were no less awkward or jerky, however, and situated on each of their heads was a bronze plated mask depicting the thin, scaled faces of a hissing serpent, curved fangs glinting and poised to strike. They just could not get a break in this place, could they?!

Then, on some unspoken cue, each one released an awful caterwauling that seemed to rend the air in two, the painful cacophony driving deep into Ash's skull even when he covered his ears to blot out the awful noise. But even then, through it all, he could still hear the symphony of words spoken over and over and over again in their almost childlike voices;

_ "Allein! Allein! Die Art und Weise alle Dinge Enden und sterben! Allein! Allein! Die Art und Weise alle Dinge Enden und sterben! Allein!"_

The words seemed to tear into Ash's very mind, like a thorn being slowly driven through his skull and planting seeds of doubt and grief in it's relentless wake.

"W-What are they saying?!" Iris shouted over the awful din, hands clamped tight over her ears as her face twisted into a grimace of pain.

"Don't listen to it!" He heard Satoshi yell over the noise, "Whatever you do, don't _listen!_"

Next to him, Jessie grabbed one of her pokeballs and threw it into the air, screaming, "Frillish, get rid of that awful racket with Psychic!"

The pink jellyfish pokemon materialized above their heads, translucent body beginning to glow a pale shade of blue as it hovered lazily in front of them. That light was transferred to the three encroaching creatures in quick succession as Frillish wrapped them in aura of psychic energy, and soon they were paralyzed by the sheer iron force of it's will.

"Fri-llish!" Frillish cried as it hurled the creatures into the branches above, pieces of splintered woods raining down onto their as the boughs snapped and cracked. Blessed silence returned soon after, and Ash quickly grabbed one of his own pokeballs, knowing that now was the time to fight.

"Go Snivy! Use Leaf Storm!" Ash cried as he hurled the pokeball into the air.

The little pokemon wasted no time once she appeared, eyes flashing as she summoned a hail of glowing, razor-sharp leaves that covered the three lanky beasts in a swirling cloud of green, "Snivy-vy-vy!"

The leaves left a swathe of smooth cuts crisscrossing the black bark of the branches, some deep enough to leave a few hanging on by only a thread. Of the creatures, there was no sign. Were they . . . gone?

"AH! Monster at four o-clock!" Meowth's alarmed cry got everyone's attention, but sadly the warning came too late. Like lightning, one of the creatures detached themselves from the shadows that pervaded the forest and made a straight beeline for Snivy.

"Snivy, dodge it!" Ash shouted, but alas the creature simply moved too quickly for her to react to his command in time.

With a sharp swipe of it's gangly arm, it dug it's claws into Snivy's side and sent her flying into the trunk of a nearby tree, the bark cracking beneath her as she let out a pained cry, "Snivy!"

Ash looked on, dismayed, "Oh no, Snivy!"

At the same time, a clawed hand reached down from between the branches of the trees and viciously grabbed hold of Frillish, crushing the pokemon in a tight and merciless grip, "Frill!"

"Hey, get your grubby paws off my Frillish!" Jessie shouted angrily. Turning to her partner, she yelled, "James, do something!"

"Uh, on it!" James said before pulling another pokeball from his belt and throwing it into the air, "Go, Amoonguss, use Stun Spore!"

"Amoonguss!" Amoonguss cried as he was released. Holding it's two pseudopods up, it released spray of noxious brown mist that engulfed the creature strangling Jessie's Frillish, it's paralytic toxins already taking affect. Wiggling desperately, Frillish was finally able to slip out of it's captor's claws to freedom.

Beside him, Iris yelled, "Axew, use Dragon Rage to help Snivy out!"

"Axew!" Axew responded with a nod. Jumping off her shoulder and landing on the ground at her feet, he opened his mouth and unleashed an orb of swirling power at the creature who was even now stalking closer to the injured grass pokemon. With a forceful slam, it burst on contact and enveloped the creature in a cloud of brackish smoke.

"Snivy, are you okay?" Ash cried, running to her side.

"Sni . . . vy," Snivy said weakly, struggling to her feet despite the pain she must have been in.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said before hopping down to stand beside her, giving the other pokemon a shoulder to lean on as the smoke began to clear. The creature swayed to and fro on it's skinny feet, seemingly unbothered by the attack. But it did not come forward. No, it just sat there, watching them through the empty sockets of it's mask. What-?

"Ash, behind you!" he heard Iris shout.

Ash spun around on his feet only to see another of the creatures depart from the branches above, bronze mask looking ghoulish in the shadows around it. It lashed out with it's right arm, curved claws glinting like steel right as Ash backpedaled in order to avoid the blow. He pulled back just in the nick of time to dodge the claw, but the very tip managed to catch the corner of his hat and fling it away, and Ash could only watch as it flew into the woods and out of sight.

Behind him, he heard the sound of scuttling feet, and he knew without even having to turn his head that the other creature once standing idly by was know rushing at him with murderous intent, hissing as it ran.

"Pi-ka-CHU!" Pikachu shouted as he unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt at the approaching monster, driving away the shadows and basking the entire dale in coruscating splashes of yellow light. The creature screeched as it's whole body became a conduit for over ten thousand volts of electricity, drawing back to escape the attack and ending it's charge.

"Now Pansage, use Bullet Seed!" he heard Cilan shout as he tossed a pokeball into the air, quickly followed by an affirmative, "Pansage!"

A hail of stinging seeds began to rain down on the other creature flanking him, and it drew back with a hiss as they dug into it's side.

"Axew, Dragon Rage!" Iris shouted, and right after another whirling sphere slammed into the creature's mask and sent it reeling back into the woods, knocking it down with a bang.

"Alright!" Ash cried jubilantly, seeing that the tide of battle begin to turn in their favor. A sense of renewed vigor filled him despite their situation. They were going to win!

Then the ground beneath his feet gave a violent shudder, and suddenly the trees not five feet away exploded into a haze of splinters as one of those huge, muscular brutes lumbered into the dale, howling in near blind fury as it slammed it's huge hands into the ground, the entire cobblestone floor shaking with every slam.

"AH! Big, mean, and brawny's back!" Meowth cried as he ducked behind his two comrades, who were still wrapped up in their battle with the third creature.

It turned it's hollow eyes on them, which made the entire trio freeze in fright. Then, as if deeming them too troublesome to reach, it lowered it's gaze to the left and instead looked directly at Ash. A palpable sense of rage oozed from it's entire being and, with another bloodcurdling howl, it dug it's fingers into the stone and charged, cracking the rock like eggshells and leaving only a trail of shattered pebble in it's wake. And it was so close, too close to be able to grab both Pikachu and Snivy and get out of the way in time! It had to be one or the other, but for Ash, the choice was already made. He already knew who he was saving.

But before he could enact his plan and get Pikachu and Snivy out of the way, he felt something long and sinewy wrap around his waist and suddenly hurl him out of the creature's path. He hit the ground with a thud, the hard stone disagreeing painfully with his back when he felt a soft_ thwump_ on his stomach made him look up.

Pikachu.

But then, where-?

And then he saw her. Snivy was still standing where she had been before, green vines hovering around her head as she gave him a soft and accepting smile. And she was still right in the monster's remorseless path.

As if he could still somehow save her with his desperation alone, he reached out to her and screamed, "SNIVY!"

But right before the creature's fist fell, a black blur suddenly shot forward and dove toward the little pokemon, scooping her up and rolling away right as the ground she had once been standing on was pulverized to dust under the creature's massive paw. The shadow slid on their hands and feet as they were pushed back by the concussive blow, but escaped the blast mostly unhurt as they stayed curled in a defensive ball, ready to run again if need be.

Satoshi, once again, had saved one of his pokemon. Feeling relief like never before, Ash got up and ran towards the other boy who now sat cradling a hurt, but very much alive Snivy in his arms. His friends both took it upon themselves to hold the big one back as he ran to check on Snivy, something he would have to thank them profusely for later.

"Snivy!" Ash shouted joyfully, dropping to his knees and taking her in his arms, "Oh, Snivy, thank goodness you're okay!" Turning to the other boy, he said gratefully, "Thank you Satoshi!"

Satoshi only nodded, relinquishing his hold of the little pokemon before rising back to his feet, eyes locking vigilantly onto the battles raging around them.

"Snivy . . ." Snivy mumbled softly, as if to ask him why he was so worried. Her injuries weren't gruesome, but the limp, dead air of this place must have been taking a toll on her because her breathing was haggard and strained, as if she were barely getting enough of it.

"You did a good job," Ash congratulated solemnly as he took out her pokeball, "Now take a good rest."

"Snivy . . ." she said as she allowed herself to be returned to her pokeball, and Ash stood up with a sigh as he placed it back on his belt. Glaring at the creatures still attacking Team Rocket and his friends, Ash went to grab another pokeball in order to rejoin the fight, when a hand on his wrist stopped him.

"We need to get away from here," Satoshi said, keeping his grip tight, "There's too many of these things here now. Look, out in the forest, and you'll see!"

Ash blinked and turned to look, and his heart nearly stopped when he finally saw and understood what Satoshi meant. It looked as if the entire topmost branches of the trees were alive with jerky limbs and the glinting sparks of bronze masks that seemed to slip in and out of the dark, writhing like a swarm of insects just waiting to attack. Where had they come from?!

"We have to leave!" Satoshi insisted, and Ash could do nothing but admit that he was right. That veritable army amassing in the trees would simply be too much for their pokemon.

But, " . . . Where do we go?"

At this, Satoshi's face became grim, "I don't know. But anywhere's better than here."

Ash nodded, accepting that because right now nothing was more true than that statement. But how long would they have to regroup should they run? These creatures had tracked them down in mere minutes, how long would they leave them a second time? And they couldn't run forever . . .

And then, like a godsend, a cloud of cool mist suddenly descended throughout the dale, covering them all in a soft blanket of white,_ familiar_ fog. He heard the creatures snarl and screech in confusion, followed by a furious rustling within the trees. Ash felt Satoshi's fingers tighten, and his own muscles tensed as he tried to make sense of the situation. What was happening?

"Ash!" came a cry from within the mist, and it was voice Ash recognized immediately.

"N!" Ash shouted back, trying to catch a glimpse of the green-haired man through the mist.

A hand appeared on his shoulder, and Ash spun around to find that N was already behind him, urging him back, "Come on, we have to get out of here!"

"Right," Ash replied, nodding. Turning to where he could make out the vague silhouettes of his friends, he shouted, "Guys, come on! We gotta go!"

"R-right!" He heard Iris reply, "Let's go Axew!"

"Axew!"

"Pansage, return!" Cilan cried, and a line of translucent red light pierced the fog for a brief moment before flickering out just as quickly.

"Let's scram, you guys!" Meowth called to his two companions, who wasted no time in recalling their pokemon and turning tail.

From deeper in the mist, Ash saw the vague silhouettes of four others appear through the obscure veil, two of which had a pair of glowing red eyes, and a voice yelled, "Everyone, follow us!"

Ash recognized the voice immediately. It was Concordia! Did that mean Anthea was here as well?

"Come on!" N urged, pulling him deeper into the mist and out of his thoughts. But Ash complied without resistance, nodding and knowing they couldn't stick around here any longer. The sound of footsteps hastening after him reassured him his friends knew where to go, and Pikachu, after a few bounds, leapt up to his shoulder and clung tightly to the fabric.

Under the cover of the fog, and with the guidance of N and his companions, the group was able to travel through the woods unmolested. However, the occasional rustling of the branches nearby would never fail to make Ash's heart pound, and even when they came to another stop, his muscles twitched with the need to keep running, to run as fast as he could and hide.

Slowly, the fog began to dissipate as Gothitelle and Gardevoir released their psychic hold over it, the cool mist departing and leaving only the unchanging air in its place. Ash actually felt somewhat saddened by the loss. At least the fog had felt alive . . .

Straightening up, chest still heaving from the run, he looked N and his companions over for any signs of injury. Thankfully, although their clothes were dirtied and one of Anthea's sleeves had been torn from the elbow down, they looked unhurt.

"Thanks for the save, N," Ash said gratefully, looking the young man's way.

"Yeah, thanks," Iris added in herself, hands braced against her knees as she breathed, "I thought we goners for sure back there."

"Really, your timing couldn't have been better," Cilan said, hand pressed over his heart as if he were trying to manually calm it.

N shook his head, "Please, don't mention it. I'm just glad to know we got to you in time."

"Pikachu," Pikachu said appreciatively, ears flicking toward the man.

N smiled, "Of course."

"I think . . . we're okay for now," Satoshi said, though his eyes still glanced around warily.

Jessie glared at him, "You said that last time, too."

"Careful Jess, you'll jinx it," James cautioned, the shadows making his pale face stand out even more.

Jessie growled, "Be quiet, James."

_Snap._

Everyone was there feet in an instant, backpedaling away from the source as James hollered, "See, what did I tell you!"

Ash's hand immediately flew to his belt as Satoshi bolted to his side, gritting his teeth as he watched the tight clusters of feeble, painfully thin trees shake again. How could they have found them so fast?!

They stopped for a moment, when suddenly a hand burst out between the trunks, making several of the group gasp in alarm and surprise as the hand grasped the bark and began pushing it aside. The trunks heaved, trying to force their way back to their original position, when, with a final grunt and effort, the mysterious figure pushed through the bark and stumbled into the clearing.

Only to trip and fall right onto the cobblestone with a startled, "WaaAAH!"

Ash blinked, hand relaxing against the pokeball his fingers were curled around. That voice . . . it was-?!

Looking up, the figure held up a hand despite their prone position and greeted cheerfully, "Hello everyone! Sorry for the scare!"

Iris beat him to the punch, shouting elatedly, "It's Professor Juniper!"

Behind the Professor, who was in the process of clambering back to his feet, the trunks rustled once more, and another figure pushed their way into view.

Ash smiled, feeling his spirits liven dramatically, "And Looker too!"

Looker, clearing the trees with greater ease, stooped down to help the professor to his feet, but his smile was bright as he addressed them all, "Ash! Everyone! It's good to see you're all alright!"

"It's good to see you guys as well," Ash replied truthfully. It was good to see so many familiar faces, and Ash couldn't help but feel more optimistic about their circumstances when they were all together.

"Pikapika! Pikachu!" Pikachu greeted with equal enthusiasm.

Next to him, Satoshi spoke, softly to be sure, but with no less relief than the rest, "Good. That's everyone."

"Since you're all here, I assume you've all been trying to find a way out as well?" the Professor asked, running his hands over his jacket to brush the dirt away.

"Oh, believe me, we have," Cilan responded, "Although, we've been encountering a lot of trouble along the way."

"I take it you mean those creatures," Looker stated, crossing his arms over his chest as his face took on a more serious tone.

"Yeah," Ash said, nodding, "You've seen them too?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Looker said, "They've given us some trouble as well."

"I'll say!" the Professor said, "I had quite the time running away from a few when I first got here, and I would have been in some serious trouble had the good detective not been around to bail me out."

"Just doing my job, Professor," Looker said with a humble smile.

After a moment of silence, Iris stepped forward, wringing her hands together nervously as she quietly asked, "Um, Professor? Those things that keep attacking us . . . they're not . . . pokemon, are they?"

Professor Juniper crossed his arms, a look of seriousness crossing his face as replied, "If they are, they're certainly not like any I've ever seen before."

Ash bit his lip as an air of disquiet settled over everyone, the unspoken question hanging in the silence that followed; if these weren't pokemon . . . then just _what_ were they?

Then the Professor spoke again, "Unless I have, and I've just forgotten."

The exclamations and groans of exasperation were nearly unanimous as Ash brought a his hand to his face, shaking his head as he moaned, "Really Professor?"

"Pika . . ." Pikachu grumbled into his ear, ears falling flat against his head.

"Is now really the time for that? Iris asked disbelievingly, palm pressed to her forehead.

Cilan let out a somewhat awkward chuckle, rubbing a hand over his cheek, "Well, at least one thing's stayed the same."

Nonplused by their behavior, the Professor continued, "But no. As of right now, I have no idea what those things are."

"They're not pokemon."

It was N who had spoken, his grave face given an ominous haze by the dark shadows that pervaded the space around him. He continued in low tones, as if he were afraid to disturb the silence that had settled over them, "When we first arrived here, we tried to commune with the creatures in these woods. But the voices we heard . . . they were not natural."

"It's true," Anthea added, had placed over her heart as if to ward it from some unseen evil, "Their voices were distorted and alien, and lacked any sort of emotion. It was as if they didn't have a true conscious of their own."

"Once more, it seemed that something else was prevailing over them all," Concordia added, eyes grim and lacking their usual luster, "Something . . . dark."

"Gothitelle."

"Gardevoir."

"But . . . if they're not pokemon, then what are they?" Iris asked, though Ash could see she feared the answer.

"We . . . don't know," Anthea responded softly, "But they're definitely . . . something else. Something unnatural."

"Something else?" Ash asked, the implication of something bigger setting his teeth on edge, "Like what?"

For a time, N remained quiet, seeming to mull over his next words carefully before finally, and slowly, addressing him, "Ash, do you remember that time when we fell into that pit, and I told you about that 'bad feeling' I felt."

Ash's eyes widened, remembering the incident almost instantly, "Yeah, I do. What does that have to do with this place?"

"When we arrived here," N explained, gesturing to the dark woods around them, "I felt it again. Except this time, it was far more potent than it had been before. Far more than just a feeling."

He turned his head just slightly to the left, eyes turning to the boy standing next to Ash, and he said, "You sensed it too, didn't you Satoshi."

"Huh?" Ash blinked and faced the other boy with a curious stare, and he noted the way Satoshi's eyes fell to the floor. Thinking back to their time in the depths of the cave, Ash realized with a start that N was right. Something had definitely been bothering Satoshi down in the Ruins. But this . . . could it really have been _this_?

"Is that true, Satoshi?" Cilan asked, green eyes trained on Satoshi as he waited for his answer.

Satoshi shoulders involuntarily tensed when he heard his name, and he seemed hesitant to answer as his eyes remained glued to the floor. Then, with a short, tired sigh, he finally gave them a small, almost imperceptible nod, ". . . Yeah."

A guilty look crossed his face, eyes taking on a penitent gleam as he continued, "I'm sorry. I . . . should have said something sooner. Maybe then this wouldn't have happened."

"Hey, no one's blaming you for this," Iris cut in, eyes soft and reassuring, "It's not like you could have known this would happen."

"But that's the problem! I _should_ have known!" Satoshi yelled as his head snapped up to look at her, eyes flashing with anger. The sudden intensity startled them all into silence, and Iris involuntarily clamped her mouth shut when he turned on her, Axew pulling back into her hair with a frightened shiver.

But then, as if someone had flipped a switch, the passion bled away and Satoshi returned his gaze the floor, voice growing soft and regretful once more, "I should have known . . ."

"Bit of a personality switch from the normal Twerp, wouldn't you say . . ." James whispered softly to his companions, though to Ash's ears it seemed impossibly loud.

"Wonder if he's got some screws loose or somethin'," Meowth whispered back.

Jessie scoffed, "More like missing, if you ask me."

The tone of their voices made it evident that they clearly thought Satoshi was nuts. Honestly, it made Ash angry. Satoshi was clearly torn up about this, feeling fault for a perceived wrongdoing on his part, and they just sat there, gossiping. It made him want to turn around and snap at them for being so thoughtless, though he knew in the end, it would be pointless. It was Team Rocket, after all.

But Ash, seeing the guilt on Satoshi's face, chose instead to ignore their words and keep his peace in favor of taking a step closer and placing a firm, stabilizing hand on the boy's shoulder, "Whether you should have or not, it doesn't matter now, so don't beat yourself about it. Right now, let's just focus on getting out of here."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu added, black eyes gleaming intently in the dark.

Satoshi glanced at the two, and though the remorse didn't exactly leave, Ash liked to think that it seemed lighter and less suffocating. Maybe with something to think about and do, Satoshi wouldn't dwell on it so much.

"That would be the wisest course of action," Looker commented, brushing off Satoshi's outburst in light of their situation and turning to the practical instead. But Ash had no doubt that once they were out, he'd have more than just a few questions to ask the boy, "Though how we do that is a bit of a mystery."

"That's another problem, I'm afraid," N said softly, and everyone turned their puzzled stares to him.

"What do you mean, N?" Ash asked, feeling a morbid trepidation claw at his belly. Whatever N had to say, Ash knew already that it wasn't going to be good.

"That presence I felt in the Ruins, and the one that's here now; it was also present when that earthquake happened," N explained. Eyes taking on a serious, no-nonsense tone, he said, "I think it's what's responsible for bringing us here in the first place."

"Wait, hold on," Jessie interjected, looking alarmed, "Are you telling me that your 'bad feeling'," she air-quoted the words mockingly, "is what brought us here?"

"Yes," N replied, unbothered by her ridiculing gesture, "I also think it's deliberately keeping us trapped here, though for what reason I can't say. Whatever it is, I can't help but believe that it's _alive_."

"A-alive?" James asked, looking more than a little disturbed by the words.

N nodded, tone grim, "Yes."

Professor Juniper crossed his arms, eyebrows knitting together, "Normally, I'd say your theory sounded a bit far-fetched, but after Reshiram and this, I'm hard-pressed to dismiss it."

"If you didn't believe it, then we'd vouch for him," Concordia said, eyes hardening, "N would not lie about something like this, especially not now."

"But, if something's keeping us here . . ." Iris started before trailing off, placing a comforting hand on Axew's side.

"That is a problem," Looker said, bringing a finger to his chin, "And I don't think we can just go and ask it nicely to take us back."

"Well, there must be _something _we can do . . ." Cilan said, though his face was shadowed by doubt as no ideas came to mind.

Ash looked at the ring of worried, anxious faces around him, each one lost in thought as they all tried to come up with some way of escaping. What could they do? There were no exits, at least none they could see, and if N was telling the truth-no, he was telling the truth, Ash was certain-and something was keeping them trapped here . . . then was there even a hope of finding one?

What could they do?

A low, almost undetectable vibration suddenly thrummed through the stone under Ash's feet, and he looked down in startled alarm. He didn't see anything, though. Had he . . . imagined it?

But no, there it was again, stronger this time! The twigs at his feet trembled lightly against the stone, their rough, fragile shells letting loose a soft chorus of rustling from all around. The dirt became displaced as the vibrations steadily grew stronger, and Ash brought a hand to his head in order to keep his hat from falling off.

Except his fingers only brushed against hair, and with the sensation came the remembrance that he'd lost his hat during the attack from the creatures. Ash wanted to curse himself for being so stupid, for forgetting something so important. But the slow intensifying of the vacillating earth allowed him only a few precious seconds of self-deprecation before he was dragged back to his unfortunate reality.

"W-what's going on?!" Iris shouted, holding onto Axew as the shaking grew more intense.

"Another earthquake?" Professor Juniper supplied, though Ash doubted it was a normal one.

N suddenly whirled around to face the other direction, and he spun so fast that Ash only caught a glimpse of the horror dawning across his face.

"Something's coming," he said, voice as tense and rigid as his body, "Something bad."

"What?! What's coming?! You've gotta be clearer than that!" Jessie shouted, alarm filling her face.

But the answer they all wanted was not given, because right then, the trees suddenly began to fly passed them at hypersonic speeds, seemingly of their own accord and grabbing everyone's undivided attention. Ash had to look at his own feet to truly ascertain the fact that yes, he was _not _moving. Not moving at all. In fact, he and his friends were completely stationary, without even the typical and expected force of _being_ moved acting on them, like if they had been riding in a vehicle. But the trees continued to fly by at an almost impossible speed, whirling so quickly past that they became little more than an indistinguishable blur of black, creating the illusion that they were traveling through a corridor made entirely of darkness.

But then, a light broke out at the end of the 'tunnel', growing larger and brighter so quickly Ash had to actually shield his eyes as they were all suddenly and unceremoniously dragged through it, being deposited at the base of the hole without actually having stepped an inch.

And when his vision finally cleared and he was able to see where he now was, Ash's jaw fell open.

The cavern they now sat in was huge, so huge he could scarcely see the other side of it, the opposite end blurred by a haze of gray and black. The 'walls' were made out of the intertwining trunks of gigantic trees, easily dwarfing any building of human make Ash had ever seen. The black bark of each trunk almost looked as if they had been polished smooth, so glossy that they looked to carved from sheer slabs of pure ebony. Overhead, the dead branches coiled together to form a huge domed ceiling over them, the highest parts almost invisible in that darkness that pervaded the twisted boughs. Shadows seemed to flit from branch to branch, though whether they were living things or not was a point of contention no one could answer. The crooked branches all weaved towards the center, where the longest arched down and coalesced together to form the tangled, twisted facsimile of an eternally swaying pendulum.

The rest of the cavern dipped down into a bowl-shaped groove that was made entirely out of knotted roots, save for the four broken stone stairwells that were crudely thrown together at each of the four cardinal directions, the rough, uneven slabs colored an odd assortment of black, grey, and white. And at the heart of the pit rose the monumental structure of an ancient, broken temple. It was vaguely similar to that of a pyramid in shape, starting off with a base that seemed to swallow the center of the pit before tapering down in size as it neared the top. Small roots weaved in and out of the cracks and pits that marred it's once grandiose surface, the invading extrusions forming an ivy-like pattern along the old, rotted stone. Only half the pyramid was even visible, however, as the top half was completely covered by a huge, vine-y tendril that bore a strangely bronzed hue to its bark. Above that, nothing could be seen. Broken pieces of fractured rubble dotted the roots around the base of the temple, and even from here, Ash could see it looked precariously close to falling apart.

Just where were they _now_?

"W- . . . what is this?" Cilan asked, voice so low it came to little more than whisper.

Satoshi was already on his feet, tone one of utter seriousness as he replied, "The worst place we could be," looking at Ash, he urged, "We need to leave."

"He's right," N nodded as he helped Concordia and Anthea to their feet, both of whom looked to be in absolute agreeance with their friend.

Ash couldn't help but agree. However bad the place they'd been before, at least some places felt safe. Here, he felt like he was always being watched, always being analyzed, and the feeling made his skin crawl.

Professor Juniper's startled cry set them all on alert, "Hang on, where's the tunnel? It's completely vanished!"

Ash spun around, and he, along with everyone else, gasped at what they saw. Whatever entrance had been present before, all Ash could see behind him now was the smoothly polished surface of another giant tree. Their exit was gone. They were trapped.

"But how is that possible?" Iris asked, "We fell through here right?"

"I thought we did, but whatever hole was here before seems to have closed up. Very odd . . ." the Professor said, running a hand over the bark where the hole used to be. His fingers did not pass through any illusionary wall or mirage, however, landing flat against the trunk that did not so much as bend under his touch.

"So are you telling us . . ." Jessie started, shivering.

"We're trapped here?" James finished, voice trembling.

Meowth placed a paw to his head, rubbing slow circles into his fur, "Man, this is more than my nioves can take . . ."

"Well, we can't give up yet!" Ash interjected, holding up a determined fist, "Maybe there's another exit somewhere else?"

"Pikachu!"

"Quite right," Looker said, arms folded as he examined the surrounding area with a studious eye, "We can't write off a situation as hopeless without first examining every piece of evidence there is to find."

For a few moments, he was silent, eyes roving over everything he could see with careful scrutiny, when his shoulders suddenly straightened, "Huh? What's that?"

"What?" Ash asked, eyes straining to see what Looker had seen, "I can't see anything."

"Oh!" Iris gasped, pointing down to the lower rungs of the pit, "I think I see what you mean! Something's moving down there!"

Everyone's eyes followed her finger, looking frantically for the source of the commotion. Then, though he had to strain his eyes to do, Ash thought he saw what she meant; down by the roots, close to the stairs that they stood by, Ash could make out the moving shapes of people. Had someone else been dragged in as well?

"Who are they?" Ash asked, voicing the question on everyone's minds.

"Hang on," Looker replied, reaching into his coat pocket and withdrawing a small, handheld set of binoculars. Placing them over his eyes, he fiddled with the wheels for a time as he readjusted the lenses to suit his needs, lips pursed together in concentration as he struggled to find the group they had seen. Then, he leaned forward and gasped, shouting in shock, "It's Team Plasma!"

"Team Plasma?!" He, Iris and Cilan shouted in disbelief.

"Pikachu!"

"Axew!"

"No way, they're here too?" Ash asked. Close by, he noticed the way N, Anthea and Concordia tensed, no doubt the most displeased with this revelation.

"It would seem so," Looker replied, following the nefarious group through his binoculars.

"How many of them are there?" Professor Juniper asked, anxious over this discovery.

"It's hard to say," Looker responded, "They're running, and through cover, at that, so it's making it difficult to keep track of them. But I can definitely see that Ghetsis is present, as well as Colress."

Ash grimaced at the names. Of all the people to be present, it had to be those two . . .

"They're running, you said?" Satoshi questioned, brown eyes locked intensely on the group below. At Looker's confirming nod, he continued, "What from?"

The question caught everyone off guard, but even that lasted for only a moment as a deeper, darker sense of dread began to descend over them. Turning the binoculars away from Team Plasma, Looker began to focus on the paths behind them, search never wavering as he sought the potential answer.

Then his fingers tightened along the rim of the binoculars and he answered, voice grim, "It's those creatures again."

Ash's hands involuntarily curled into fists, even though he had already suspected that to be the case. Swallowing, he asked, "How many are there? Can you tell?"

Looker somberly shook his head, "No. In fact, it's even harder because they almost blend in with the trees. I was lucky I was able to see even one, and I think that's only because I know what to look for when it comes to tracking."

Removing the binoculars from his face, he continued, "But one thing I can tell for certain; Team Plasma is definitely in trouble."

For a moment, no one said anything. No one was sure what to do. After all, it wasn't that long ago when Team Plasma had been enemy number one and had almost gotten everyone killed. But Ash remembered the situation they were in and the very real danger that was present, and he knew that, despite all the evil they had done, he could not in good conscious turn his back on them when they needed his help.

So, standing with squared shoulders and eyes shining with resolve, he said, "Then I guess we'll just have to help them."

Not surprisingly, it was N who spoke out against his declaration first, "But Ash, it's Team Plasma!"

"I know!" Ash said, turning to him, "They're bad people, and they've done a lot of damage, I know. But does that really make it okay to just leave them out there?"

N opened his mouth to retort, but then closed it again as he truly thought over Ash's words. With a sigh, he leaned back and ran a hand over his eyes, "That big heart of yours is going to get you in trouble someday . . . but I can see your point."

"N, are you sure?" Concordia asked, taking a step towards her young friend.

"Concordia, look at what's around us," N said, raising a hand to the foreboding scenery, "Whether I'm sure or not, the situation goes beyond personal feelings, wouldn't you agree?"

She looked like she wanted to argue with him, but she refrained from speaking. Next to her, Anthea held her hands over her heart as if in prayer, but she too, held her tongue. Both clearly disliked this idea, but even they could see the truth of N's words.

"Is everyone else okay with that?" Ash asked, wanting everyone's confirmation on this plan.

Iris sighed, shrugging, "You're too nice for your own good Ash. But fine."

"No objections from me," Cilan said, always on his friends side.

"The same, though I would recommend you still exercise caution. It _is_ Team Plasma, after all," Professor Juniper warned.

"Since they're technically still under my charge, it's also my responsibility to make sure that no harm comes to them," Looker explained, "So I'm all for this plan."

Satoshi remained silent for a time, then, "Fine. But be careful."

Ash glanced Team Rocket's way. For all his problems with them, they were still involved with this as well. It was only fair for them to have their voices heard, even if they were less than morally wholesome themselves.

Jessie waved a dismissive hand at him, "Hey, we already showed those losers whose top Team around here, so do what you want."

"Just don't expect us ta go outta our way for those chumps," Meowth said, paws braced against his hips.

Ash nodded, satisfied enough with those answers, "Okay, then let's-"

His next words were lost when an explosion suddenly tore through the air, and all eyes fell to the knotted floor far below in a startled panic. A thick, grimy cloud of black smoke was rising up from where a patch of roots had suddenly been set ablaze, the writhing flames burning orange and red, a stark contrast to their surroundings.

"I think we'd better hurry!" Professor Juniper shouted, "Because it looks like things have taken a turn for the worse down there!"

Without hesitating, Ash grabbed a pokeball from his belt and threw it up into the air, "Charizard, I choose you!"

The orange fire pokemon burst onto the scene with a roar, fanning his wings out as he landed on the ground with a heavy thud. Quickly climbing onto his back, he was about to give the command to fly when Iris suddenly ran forward and cried, "Dragonite, go!"

The dragon pokemon materialized right next to Charizard, pumping out his chest and crying mightily, "DRAAG!"

Iris pulled herself onto Dragonite's back and looked at Ash, "I think it'd be a good idea to not split up. Any problems?"

Ash smiled and shook his head, "Nope! Not at all."

Ash blinked in confusion when an arm looped itself around his waist, only vaguely aware of Charizard's warning growl as he craned his neck to look over his shoulder, "Satoshi?"

"I'm coming with you," Satoshi replied simply, leaving no room for doubt as to his intent.

Ash frowned, "Are you sure?"

"I'm coming with you!" Satoshi pressed insistently, refusing to bend.

Relaxing, Ash nodded in understanding, "Okay. Then let's go!"

"Be careful you three!" Cilan called after them as both Dragonite and Charizard began to rise into the sky, the wind kicked up from their wings rustling his clothes and hair.

"We'll be along shortly!" Professor Juniper added.

Ash only had time to nod once before Charizard was soaring down the stairs, the broken slabs and twisted roots all flying by in a near colorless blur as they flew with all speed towards the pillar of steadily rising smoke.

* * *

High above, at the temple's highest point, the giant bronze tendril shifted and stirred, the smell of intruders and the shine of a soul brighter than all the rest rousing it to wakefulness.

It's enemy was here . . .

* * *

Ooooh, shit's about to go _down!_

Next time! :D

Anywho, I hope you all enjoyed this latest update, as well as the Witch's labyrinth! It was SUPER fun to write! I had an absolute blast with it, and I hope you all did too, more disturbing content aside!

And now, for some translation!

_Allein! Allein! Die Art und Weise alle Dinge Enden und sterben! - _Alone! Alone! The way all things end and die! (Cheery, I know.)

Rate and review, if it pleases you!


	8. The Witch

Heeey.

I'm laaaaate.

I'm sooooooorry.

Anyway, I do hope you all enjoy this chapter despite. It's been too long in the making, I know.

Obligatory Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

The Witch

As they drew closer to the source of the smoke, the ropy tendrils soon turned into thick, churning funnels so pungent that Ash had to cover his mouth to keep himself from choking on the acrid fumes. Charizard, unaffected by the smell and heat, blew by it easily enough, swooping low to the intertwined roots as they searched the ground for the wayward Team.

"Over there!" Iris shouted, pointing down to a shallow recess between the roots that revealed another mosaic of strange, patchy tile work.

Team Plasma was there, having been cornered and surrounded by several of the loping creatures in the small alcove by sheer bad luck, it seemed. Charizard, catching sight of them as well, stilled his wings and tilted to the left, swerving down to the break between the roots in haste. Drawing closer, Ash could see that it only looked like four of the members were there in total, including Ghetsis and Colress, but four would be nothing to these creatures if they decided to get violent.

But violence was the only thing on these monsters minds, and two of them suddenly surged forward to the defenseless group, glinting, steel-tipped claws reaching hungrily for their prey.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Ash shouted, hands clenching tight around the fire pokemon's neck to keep from falling off as he reared up. With a roar of fierce power, a jet of hot flame burst from Charizard's fanged maw, lighting the wood roots below with very dulled hues of orange and red before slamming hard into the two creature's that had attempted to attack, blowing them both back into the tangled bramble of the roots. Closing his mouth, the jet abruptly ended, a few sizzling embers flitting about Charizard's jaw line before winking out entirely.

"Dragonite, use Ice Beam to keep those other ones from attacking!" He heard Iris shout, having kept pace with Ash the whole way.

"Drago!" Dragonite responded with a nod. Opening his mouth, a thin, jagged ray of pale blue light flew over the truncated roots, scything across the floor right before the rest of the creatures. With every inch of space the ray crossed, jagged peaks of thick, semi-transparent ice blossomed outward, forming a tall barricade that resembled the giant fangs of a frost demon that warded away any who'd dare cross it with its serrated edges.

"You're left!" Satoshi suddenly yelled in his ear, and Ash's head snapped to look on reflex just in time to see a shadow creature launch itself towards him from the roots below.

"Charizard, look out!" Ash cried in warning.

Without even looking, Charizard dipped into a sudden dive, folding his wings close to his body and dropping through the air like a stone. The sudden change in position and height was almost dizzying, and Ash had to hold on tightly to keep from falling off, a task made no easier by the near boa-like constriction of Satoshi's arms around his midriff and Pikachu's claws digging into his shoulder. Overhead, Ash just barely saw the wicked gleam of the creature's claws slash uselessly at the space Charizard had once occupied before it fell back to the ground, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Once the creature vanished back among the bramble, at least for the moment, Charizard snapped his wings open once more, the blue membrane ballooning up as air pushed into it and helped bring them to a slow stop, flight evening out to a static hover instead of a deadly plunge.

"Good call, Satoshi," Ash said breathlessly, casting a glance to the other boy over his shoulder.

"Pika," Pikachu replied in kind.

Satoshi only gave him a grave look, "They'll be more. Be careful."

Satoshi nodded once, already knowing that to be a fact before urging Charizard onward. But they didn't have to fly far this time, and it wasn't long until they came to hover just above the haggard Team Plasma.

"You?!" He heard Colress shout in disbelief, the first to recognize their would-be rescuers.

"Yeah, me!" Ash shouted back before pointing to his right, "Come on, we have to get out of here! There's path just-!"

"And why should Team Plasma listen to you?" Ghetsis demanded heatedly, lips curled into a surly frown.

"Listen buddy, we didn't have to come here to help you!" Iris yelled, eyes narrowed, "But we did anyway! So unless you want to try and fight those things on your own, you better quit whining and follow us!"

"Pikachu!"

"Axew!"

Ghetsis looked like he would have kept arguing had one of the masked minions not placed a hand on her boss's shoulder and said hurriedly, urgently, "Lord Ghetsis, our first priority should be to escape this place, and unfortunately, we aren't in a position to refuse their help now!"

"Please, be reasonable, my Lord," the other one urged, eyes glowing with desperation.

A long, chilling chorus of shrieks suddenly rolled out over the black forest of roots like a wave, tumbling over the ice barrier keeping them safe and making Ghetsis grit his teeth before finally relenting, " . . . Very well."

The shoulders of his two minions visibly sagged in relief, while Colress's grip tightened around the small device he habitually carried with him as he looked to Ash, "And where do you propose we go?" Casting an uneasy glance behind him here the cacophony had risen from, he added, "And you'd better make it quick."

Ash opened his mouth to speak, when Satoshi suddenly spoke up, "There's a long staircase nearby, about fifty feet to your left. If we can make it there, we can't be hemmed in by those creatures, we can't get lost, and we can rendezvous with the others. Charizard can fly overhead and lead you there, but we have to hurry."

"Sensible enough given the circumstances, I suppose. Alright, we'll follow," Pausing for a moment, Colress glanced at his leader, "That is, if Lord Ghetsis agrees?"

Ghetsis grunted, though it seemed reason had finally won out, "Fine."

"Okay, then let's go!" Ash shouted to the small group.

That was when Dragonite's ice barrier gave a violent shudder as something huge pounded against its surface, thin cracks similar to a spider's web spreading out across the icy wall at a frightening speed.

"Hurry!" Iris cried in alarm, urging Dragonite towards the giant stairwell.

Team Plasma immediately dove back into the thick shelter of the roots, running as fast as they could right as the barrier gave one last violent heave before exploding outward into tiny, broken fractals, and the swarm kept at bay finally poured through the opening with a series of screeching caterwauls and began to give chase.

Ash gritted his teeth in frustration as he watched the mass of creatures roll across the black terrain like a wave of living shadows, relentlessly pursing the fleeing humans with single-minded dedication. Team Plasma would be goners if he didn't do something to impede the swarm's progress now!

"Charizard, see if you can break a few of these branches with Dragon Tail!" Ash ordered.

Charizard gave a short, barking growl in response before swooping low to the branches below them, long tail beginning to take on a familiar blue glow as his keen eyes searched for a few thinner boughs that wouldn't be impossible to break.

Spying one, a thick, tall branch perfect for blocking the path, Charizard swerved towards them and, with a roar, slammed the broad side of his tail against the bough, hearing the wood snap and crack as it was ripped away from it's roost. Once free, it plummeted straight to the earth, hitting the ground with violent shudder and making the ground tremble in the wake of its collapse.

"Dragonite, tap it off with Ice Beam!" He heard Iris shout, having spotted the danger as well with her keen eyes.

"Drag!" Dragonite cried before firing another beam of chilled energy at the branch Charizard had collapsed, icing it over with a thick coating of sharpened frost.

They repeated this process several times as they traveled, keeping well in sight of the fleeing team until they'd created a veritable maze within the already maze-like forest, the iced-over limbs of the broken roots crossed over each other and locked together to form a cage-like obstruction, gleaming white in the darkness around them. So far, it had done it's job of slowing down the swarm, which was all Ash could have hoped for in these circumstances.

"Alright, great work Charizard!" Ash cheered, the success revitalizing him.

"You too Dragonite!" Iris said as well, running her hand over the dragon's neck.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu added in agreement.

"Ax!"

Below them, Ash could see they were quite close to the stairwell, Team Plasma having already made it to the flat wall of one of the broken platforms that it was composed of. They were helping each other up onto the stairwell right now, and despite himself, Ash couldn't help but feel relived that they'd been able to make it to them in time. Hovering just overhead, Ash and Iris took up a position where they could keep watch, for both knew it'd be a bad idea to let their guard down.

Satoshi suddenly gripped his shoulder tight before pointing down to the ground, voice high with alarm, "Ash, down there!"

Following his direction, Ash felt his spine go rigid when he saw the large, hulking shadow of a brute as it stomped out of the undergrowth, disappearing and reappearing as it ran by the arching, tangled roots of the forest.

And it was heading right for the unsuspecting Team.

"Charizard, Flamethrower! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted immediately, trusting his pokemon to do the rest.

With a roar, Charizard belted out another stream of fire that flew through the air towards its target like a twisting spear of flame.

"Pi-ka-CHU!" Pikachu cried in tandem, leaping from Ash's shoulder and unleashing a huge writhing volt of yellow electricity that merged with Charizard's flame, streaking like a raging comet toward the brute in all its burning, crackling glory. This did not deter the brute, as it merely continued to run headlong into he blast even as it struck, ignoring the burns it received as a result and barreling on forward towards its prey.

"Dragonite, use-AAH!"

"DRAAG!"

Iris's scream and Dragonite's cry of pain immediately pulled Ash's attention away from the oncoming brute, and he saw with growing horror that one of the limber creature's had managed to sneak around and leap onto Dragonite, using one taloned hand to dig into Dragonite's shoulder for leverage while the other was wrapped tight around Iris's arm.

"IRIS!" Ash shouted.

"Ax-EW!" A green-black ball of whirling energy suddenly slammed right into the creature's thin stomach, tearing it away from both dragon and trainer and sending it plummeting back to the ground.

"Axew!" Axew hissed fiercely from his place on Iris's shoulder, glaring down at the monster with narrowed eyes. Ash breathed a sigh of relief, and he heard Pikachu do likewise.

"T-Thanks, Axew," Iris said gratefully. Her sleeve had been sliced to ribbons, but luckily it looked as if the claws and just missed cutting skin.

Dragonite, on the other hand, was struggling to flap one of his wings and remain aloft, his left shoulder blade bearing three deep gashes that looked painful even from where Ash was. Glancing down, he saw that all of Team Plasma had managed to clamber up the wall and make it to the platform, but the brute was only a step behind them, massive fingers digging into the stone and beginning it's own climb as well. And, to make a bad situation worse, the roots where they had fled from seemed to teem and squirm like some giant living organism before breaking apart into a host of smaller shapes that tromped forward almost mindlessly.

The swarm had caught up with them.

"Iris, go help Team Plasma! I'll try to hold these guys off for a little while!" Ash yelled to his friend.

"Ash, are you crazy?! You can't take all of those things on by yourself!" Iris protested, shaking her head.

"Iris, look at Dragonite! He can barely fly right now! I can handle it! I promise!" Ash reassured her, for once painfully aware of the precious little time they had to argue about this.

Iris did look at Dragonite, eyebrows creasing together with concern as the dragon pokemon panted in pain with each trembling flap of his wings. Frowning deeply but reaching her decision, Iris finally nodded and turned Dragonite around, "Fine! But don't do anything stupid Ash!"

Had the situation not been so desperate, Ash might have heard the strain in her voice as she flew to the ground, already pulling out her two remaining pokeballs on the way down in preparation for the fight ahead. But he did not.

Behind him, Satoshi spoke, voice disturbingly calm, "They're here."

Ash glanced at the brute that had made it's way onto the platform, but knew he had to trust that Iris could defeat it on her own. He had to focus on the veritable army that was amassing at the edges of the roots, and hope, _pray_, that he could hold them off for long enough until the others got here and they could form a proper plan.

Reaching around, he grabbed three more pokeballs from his belt and threw them into the air, "Pignite, Oshawott, Krookodile, I choose you!"

"Pignite!" Pignite yelled as the light around him dissolved, snorting a gout of flame.

"Osha-Osha-Oshawott!" Oshawott declared energetically, hopping up and down.

"Krooko! Dile!" Krookodile chortled, coolly folding his arms over his scaly chest.

"Guys, I need you to focus!" Ash cried to them, eyes never leaving the creatures marching on them, "I need you to help Charizard and Pikachu keep those things from getting onto the platform, okay? Give it all you got!"

The three nodded in unison, faces falling into hard masks of determination when they saw the mass approaching and the gravity of the situation truly sunk in. They'd need to put all their devotion into this fight if they wanted to have a hope of stemming it.

"Alright guys! Let's go!" Ash yelled.

"Pikachu!"

With roars and yells of agreement, all of which sounded like battle cries to Ash's ears, Ash watched as tongues of flame, jets of water, volleys of stone, and beams of electricity began to raze their way through the encroaching mass, blowing back the opposition with surprising ferocity. Such it became for who knows how long, time losing all meaning as Ash devoted all of his attention to ensuring the army didn't breach their defense.

Oshawott, Krookodile, and Pignite did an excellent job of blowing the enemy back, their vantage point at the top of the wall giving them a height advantage as well as a small amount of protection from the horde as they worked together to meld their powers for the best possible effect. Krookodile and Pignite combined their flame and earth attacks to create vast runnels of molten rock that doused the creatures, while Pignite and Oshawott would often work together to blast the army with clouds of superheated steam. Meanwhile, Charizard provided great aerial cover for the trio and, working in unison with Pikachu, the two were able to hold off the enemy for quite some time. And thanks to Satoshi, who had the uncanny ability of being able to spot even the minutest detail that could lead to potential danger, helped prevent several breaches in the elapsing fight.

But Ash knew they couldn't keep this up forever. Certainly, they would try, but even now Ash could feel the strain in Charizard's muscles as the fire pokemon began to feel the exhaustion brought about from the fighting and having to carry both Ash and Satoshi.

And still they just kept coming. No matter how many times they pushed them back, the creatures invariably return. Was there any stopping them?

And where were the others? They hadn't run into any trouble on the way down, had they? Were they even now being cornered by another host of monsters, and he was totally unaware of it, completely unable to help? The thought made Ash's heart pound.

Suddenly, without warning, Charizard jerked to the right, nearly throwing them both off, "Whoa!"

Then Charizard roared. But it wasn't one of his normal, fierce roars that cried a challenge or victory. This was a roar of _pain_.

"Charizard, wha-" And Ash's voice caught in his throat when, in looking for whatever had caused Charizard so much distress, found it staring at him thorugh the hollow, empty sockets of it bronze mask.

A glint appeared out of the corner of his eye, and Ash looked to see the creature begin to raise it's remaining hand, claws gleaming wickedly.

"Pikachu, Iron Tail!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouted in response to the command, swiping his now glowing, iron-sheathed tail ferociously at the monster's face and cracking it's bronze mask inward with a loud _crack_. Dislodged it from it's perch, the creature went flying into space, falling back to the masses below.

But Ash could only stared in utter confusion as the light around Pikachu's tail faded . . . because it hadn't him who had issued that command.

Which left only one other possible option . . .

"Satoshi?" Ash asked in bewilderment.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu questioned, looking puzzled by his trainer's shock.

"Sorry," the other boy said, sounding truly apologetic as he looked down, "But I had to do something. If I hadn't, it would have . . ." he fell silent, then briskly shook his head, looking back to him urgently, "We need to land. Charizard isn't looking too good."

As if to emphasize his point, Charizard's body stilled beneath him and he gave as sudden, heart-stopping drop, the four of them plunging to the ground below before the fire pokemon snapped his limp wings open again and rightened himself. Ash's eyes went wide when he saw why.

Three deep gouges, each one roughly two inches wide and who knows how deep, marred Charizard's shoulder, eerily similar to the ones Dragonite had suffered earlier. They were bleeding, and it seemed every time Charizard flapped, the muscles beneath the skin would tremble and strain. The claws must have cut right down to the muscle and bone! He must have been in so much pain . . .

"Charizard, land! Hurry!" Ash yelled, anxiety gripping him.

The pokemon gave guttural growl in response before dipping back to the ground, landing wobbly beside the rest of Ash's pokemon with a noticeable exhale of relief. Satoshi and Ash clambered off quickly, giving him some much needed space as he hunched over, uninjured arm braced against a knee and head slouching low, jaws parted and breathing deep.

"Charizard . . ." Ash said softly.

"Pika . . ."

Satoshi, remaining aware of their predicament, placed a hand on Ash's shoulder to get his attention, "I know you're worried, but we can't wait here anymore."

Ash glanced at him, then to the army still snapping at their heels, frowning. Indeed, they'd pushed forward even farther, and without Charizard's air support, they'd been able to over a lot more ground. It was taking all of Pignite's, Oshawott's, and Krookodile's energy just to keep them from climbing the wall up to them.

Gritting his teeth, Ash took out Charizard's pokeball and held it up, "Charizard, ret-"

An orange claw suddenly clasped itself over Ash's hand, and Ash blinked as Charizard shook his head, "What? But Charizard, you're hurt!"

Charizard merely gave him a rough snort, as if to ask if Ash no longer had faith in him. Which was far from the case . . . it was just that wound . . .

But Ash could see in his eyes that the fire pokemon had already made his decision, and he'd never forgive Ash if he ignored it. It had taken a lot of hardship to build up this trust between them. And, despite what common sense said, Ash wouldn't betray that.

"Fine," Ash said, dropping his hand, "But take it easy, okay?"

Charizard accepted those terms, nodding his scaled head before standing to his full height and roaring a challenge to the sky, spirit unbroken despite the pain no doubt flaring in his shoulder.

Down by the roots, the army was still clambering at their heels, and Ash barked the order, "Alright guys, pull back! Get to Iris and the others!"

Doing as he commanded, they gave up their position by the wall and retreated to where Iris and her pokemon were now battling a small group of the fast monsters, Excadrill and Emolga using strength and speed to harry them away from the group. Of the brute, there was no sign, and Ash almost smiled in knowing that his faith was well-founded. But grim reality continuously harangued on his thoughts and kept him from doing just that, for even it's defeat wouldn't matter now if that swarm got to them.

"Excadrill, use Fury Swipes! Emolga, Discharge!" He heard Iris yell, throwing her arm out in time with her words.

"Excadrill!" the drill pokemon shouted in reply before unleashing a devastating barrage of jabs into one of the limber creature's, pushing it back with his sheer speed and power.

"E-molga!" Emolga cried, spreading her little arms out as crackling whorls of electivity lighted around her body before flashing forward and hitting the remaining two in unison, driving them away from the small group.

"Alright, now- . . . Ash?" Iris shouted in surprise, taking her eyes off the battle when she heard their approach.

"We need to get out of here!" Ash shouted warningly, knowing they didn't have long to talk about why.

"What? But, where do we go?" she asked, looking alarmed.

"Up," Satoshi supplied, "We need to go up."

"Up?" Ash asked.

"Pikachu?" Pikachu inquired as well.

Satoshi nodded, "Yeah. I think these things are attacking us because we're so close to the heart. And going up is the only way to get away from it."

"The heart?" Iris asked in confusion, looking befuddled and curious all in one go.

Without speaking, Satoshi pointed to the temple below them, and Ash felt a shiver go up his spine as he looked at it. Something was just so wrong about it . . . and if indeed their proximity to it was what was making these creatures so relentless, then it only made sense to get away from it.

"Okay," Ash said eventually, "Then up it is."

Beside them, Colress looked up from the small panel he still clutched in his hands from where he'd been inputting variables and numbers and froze, face going white, "That . . . may be a problem."

The two looked his way before turning their eyes to the step above them, only to freeze on the spot. Numerous dark shapes clogged the edge, bronze masks pressed practically cheek to cheek as the disturbingly still creatures blocking their path stared at them silently. Only the rapid jerking of their sketch-like 'skin' prevented them from being taken as only frightening statues. And things just got worse, as all around them, more were slowly filling in the spaces, circling them like wolves around a flock of wayward, helpless sheep. Iris pressed closer to him, shoulders shivering despite her best efforts to appear brave as both her pokemon and his gathered around them in a protective circle, eyes flashing dangerously and daring any to try and harm their trainers. Team Plasma, devoid of such protection themselves, could only keep their wary eyes on the creatures hovering around them, shoulders tense and anxious.

But they did not come forward or even attack. Instead, they remained where they were, perfectly still, perfectly silent, watching, waiting.

But . . . waiting for what?

As the tense, nearly stifling silence dragged on, Ash truthfully began to fear the answer.

"What are they doing?" Iris asked softly, hand pressed against Axew comfortingly.

"I don't know," Ash responded truthfully.

A disturbance by the wall made them turn their heads, and Ash watched in astonishment as the creatures parted and threw several shapes into the open circle, each one hitting the ground with a harsh thud and uttering a pained groan.

Ash and Iris were already running forward, because they could see exactly who it was the monsters had just thrown in.

"Cilan!" Iris shouted, dropping to his side the moment she made it to the green-haired connoisseur.

"Axew!"

"N! Everyone! Are you guys okay?" Ash asked, eyes already running over every individual face in search of wounds as he, too, came to Cilan's side.

"Pikachu!"

Ash looked between every face with a growing sense of dread and despair. Cilan, N, Anthea, Concordia, Professor Juniper, Looker, Team Rocket . . . they'd caught them all. As well as any hope they'd had of rescue. Just . . . what did these things want with them?

"Well, we're alive, at least," Cilan said as he wobbly pushed himself onto his knees with a wince. Dirt smeared his normally clean hands and his bow had been knocked askew, but he didn't look hurt, and that was all Ash could hope for. With a somewhat forced smile, Cilan added in a weak attempt to lighten the grim mood, "Although, I suppose I don't get any points for that tasteless entrance, do I?"

Iris glared at him and smacked him on the shoulder, but her relief was apparent to anyone who looked at her face and listened to the watery strain on her voice, "Stupid! Now's not the time for that!"

Ash just smiled, at least as close as he could come to one in their situation. Of course, Cilan would say something like that. And Iris would react just that way, as well. Something about the familiarity of those words and actions, however slight, brought a soft thrum of ease throughout Ash's being, despite how he knew he should have been feeling anything but.

Turning to N, he asked, "You guys alright?"

N nodded, helping Concordia and Anthea to their feet, "Alive. For now, anyway."

He gave a wary glance at the still silent figures around them until his eyes landed on Team Plasma. More specifically, Ghetsis, and his face hardened considerably and his eyes turned cold, clearly unhappy with his presence even if he'd given Ash is blessing to rescue him. Ghetsis returned that glare in every respect, lips curled into a nasty sneer.

"So, it seems we're all in a bit of a situation," Looker said cautiously, looking from left to right as he looked for a way out.

"Yes, quite," Professor Juniper added softly, "And it doesn't look as if they'll be an easy way out of it."

"W-well, what do we do?" James stuttered, face fearful, and for good reason.

"Start writin' our wills?" Meowth suggested morbidly, shaking from head to toe.

"That's not funny, Meowth!" Jessie snapped even though her voice trembled.

That was when the creatures around them all stirred as one, a thrum that seemed to ripple out across the black mass like a wave. Everyone tensed at the same time while Jessie, James, and Meowth all latched onto each other, terrified over what was to come.

Satoshi, who had kneeled by Ash's side, grabbed his wrist as if on reflex, and Ash looked his way only to grow worried when he saw just how _white_ Satoshi's face had gone, as if all the blood had left his face. His eyes, uncharacteristically wide for the normally stolid temperament he wore, were locked onto the temple, trembling with unrestrained fear. It was then Ash knew that something was _wrong_.

But before Ash could even open his mouth to ask, the creatures around him suddenly lifted their arms into the air and began to chant in childlike singsong:

_Ein Spiel! Ein Spiel! Es ist Ziet ein Spiel! Aufwachen! Aufwachen! Es ist Ziet ein Spiel! _

_Neue Freunde! Neue Freunde! Neue Freunde sind fur Sie da! __Aufwachen! Aufwachen! Weil jetzt du nicht allein bist!_

Ash had no idea what they were saying or even if he wanted to know. But whatever they were doing, Ash felt, deep in his heart, that things were about to get much, much worse for them.

And oh, for once how he hated being right.

The very moment the ominous foreign chanting died away to a mere echo and the mass stood in silence once again, a faint hum seemed to slice through the air, the sound vibrating on the insides of Ash's ears. It came again, a little stronger this time, and with it, the ground trembled beneath his knees.

"W-what's happening?" Iris asked, though the look on her face told him that she didn't want to find out.

Another shudder rumbled through the tiles beneath him, stronger this time . . .

"I have a troubling feeling we're about to find out," Professor Juniper stated somberly, face tense.

"That's it."

Ash blinked and looked at N, ignoring the increasing intensity of the quaking to ask, "N?"

The young man was staring up, chin raised just so and eyes wide and unblinking. Beside him, Concordia and Anthea looked much the same, holding each others hands as if they were both facing an oncoming tornado together and could nothing to stop it or save themselves.

"That presence . . . in the Ruins . . ." N continued softly, never looking away from the temple to which his eyes were fastened, "It's here!"

_It's here . . ._

Ash couldn't ask him what he meant, or what was here, because right then the entire temple suddenly heaved cracked, the already worn stone crunching inward as if some great weight pressed in on its sides. Entire sections fell away from the dilapidated stonework and collapsed into the roots below, sending up huge, billowing clouds of dust that almost resembled giant columns that obscured nearly the entire bottom half of the temple. And above that, near the very top, the huge, bronzed vine began to _move_.

It was like watching a horror movie, was Ash's only description for the way the giant thing slowly unwound itself from the temple, long body drooping down and coming to rest around the entirety of the sanctuary in loose, almost lazy coils that resembled a perverse version of tinsel strung around a Christmas tree.

Then, with almost deliberate slowness, a huge, serpentine head rose up from the very tip, face hidden under the flat, empty expression of a bronze, dragon-like mask, with jutting fangs and two hollow, empty eye sockets. It gave a low, protracted hiss, like hot steam escaping through a thin tube, and swung it's huge head around to face them as if just taking note of their presence. And the moment it caught sight of them, the socket of it's left eye lit up with a panoply of bright, gaudy colors that seemed to war with each other over which one would dominate before releasing a long, loud, bellowing roar that shook the trees and the air and Ash's very soul.

The creatures around them suddenly dispersed into a mad frenzy of flailing limbs and pounding paws, disappearing into the roots in a flurry of noise before vanishing into the gloom, as if the monster rising above them had scared them away. Ash truly wondered if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Such a massive energy reading . . ." eh heard Colress mumble, staring at the device in his hands, "I've never seen anything like it before."

Next to him, Satoshi shot to his feet and pulled Ash up along with him, fingers painfully squeezing Ash's wrist as the sharp movement he made snapped everyone from their stunned daze.

"Quick everyone, _run_!" Looker shouted, alarm and urgency coloring every word.

"Everyman for himseeeelf!" Team Rocket screamed in unison, turning tail and fleeing back towards the next platform of the broken stairwell.

Ash and his friends turned as well, but already the giant monster at the heart of this place was coming towards them, gliding from left to right through the air like how a snake would slide through a field of grass.

"It's coming!" Cilan cried in warning.

Team Rocket, fueled by their fear, had scurried up the wall impeding their progress like a trio of squirrels right as Looker began to help Professor Juniper up as well, using his hands as a step ladder for the smaller man.

"Come on, everyone, hurry!" Juniper shouted from his perch at the top. Behind him, Ash saw Team Rocket lingering in the back, and he puzzled for only a moment over why they hadn't already run away.

"We're trying!" Colress snapped, the pressure evidently getting to him.

"This is going too slowly!" Looker growled, as he helped said scientist up the wall.

And he was right, Ash realized. This _was_ going too slowly. At this rate, they wouldn't make it!

"Well, what else can we do?" Iris asked, her face as well as everyone else's reflecting the same realization of the dire conclusion Ash himself had come too.

But Looker only gritted his teeth, an sharp gleam of worry, of _helplessness_, appearing in his eyes.

And the creature continued to barrel towards them, unflinching, relentless, and Ash knew it would be upon them very, very soon. And they couldn't run away. Not when it was taking this long.

And then Satoshi, having not once let go of his wrist since this whole thing had started, gave it a sudden, sharp tug to get his attention, and when Ash turned to face him, he saw a spark of something appear in the other boy's eyes, something fierce, yet also frantic, "Ash, we have to fight! Use your pokemon! Your pokemon _can still fight!_"

Ash blinked and just barely managed to curtail the urge to slap himself in the wake of the situation. Of course! If they couldn't run away from this thing, then they'd just have to fight it instead! And their pokemon were far from finished!

"Guys!" Ash shouted to his pokemon, who immediately snapped to attention, "We need to stop that thing now! So don't hold back and throw everything you've got at it!"

"Krooko!" Krookodile nodded only once before raising his arms, two rings of sharp, jagged stones materializing into being around him.

"Pignite!" Pignite rumbled, nose snorting out a two thin streams of fire.

"Osha! Oshawott!" Oshawott said in agreement, pulling off his shell and holding it in his hand like a dagger.

Charizard, raising his neck high despite the pain he still must have been in, roared in affirmation, small spurts of flame licking over his parted jaws.

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded firmly, cheeks sparking wildly as he leapt down from Ash's shoulder to take his place at the head of the group.

"Alright you guys!" Ash said, holding out a clenched fist, "Now give it all you've got!"

And with a unified roar of response, each pokemon unleashed a torrent of their most powerful attack; Krookodile's Stone Edge, Pignite's and Charizard's Flamethrowers, Oshawott's Hydro Pump, and Pikachu's tried and true Thunderbolt.

And he wasn't going into this alone.

"Alright, you too, Emolga, Excadrill, Axew!" Iris shouted powerfully.

"Excadrill!" Excadrill yelled, firing up a powerful Focus Blast that cut through the air.

"E-molga!" Emolga chirped, yellow sparks flying from her body as she let loose her best Discharge.

"A-XEW!" Axew cried, mouth glowing bright as he summoned forth Dragon Rage.

And Cilan wasn't about to be outdone, "Now it's you turn to shine. Go, Pansage, Crustle!"

"Crustle!" Crustle garbled as soon as the light from his pokeball faded, pincers glowing white before slashing them across the air, leaving an X-shaped scar of light that flew at the enemy, his X-Scissor true to it's name.

"Pansage!" Pansage shouted as he hopped into existence, holding up both hands and collecting just enough power to release a beam of shining golden light that seared and burned; a Solar Beam.

But still more surprises were coming, from the most unexpected places Ash could think of right then.

"Gardevior," Concordia said.

"Gothitelle," Anthea added.

Both pokemon merely nodded, eyes taking on a bright red cast of psychic power as they summoned forth tow brightly colored rays of pure energy that scythed through the air like two ribbons of ephemeral light. Psybeams.

And from overhead came three more cries;

"Woobat, Frillish, show these twerps how it's done!"

"Amoongus, Yamask, you too!"

"Yeah, give dat thing a what-for!"

Four more attacks sailed over the top of the wall right over Professor Juniper's head; Air Slash, Shadow Ball, Hidden Power, and Night Shade. So Team Rocket decided to chip in too . . .

All these attacks sparkled and shone with their own ferocious energy and intensity before melding together into one, singular attack of amazing brilliance, a cornucopia of crisscrossing colors of every kind that seemed almost beautiful in it's savage fury. And, to Ash's triumph, that powerful, fierce, unstoppable attack hit the approaching monster dead-on, all the power exploding outward in a shower of blinding light. Ash had to avert his gaze, the light was so intense. only able to hear the chaos of the creature's collapse and the piercing, seething scream it uttered, a noise that sounded disturbingly like a human before it petered out to silence. The light died away, and Ash was finally able to see what had transpired.

Only, to his bewilderment, see nothing. The creature was gone.

"Did we . . . did we do it?" Iris asked breathlessly.

Ash smiled, a tinge of excitement entering his voice, "I think we did!" Rounding on his pokemon, he cheered, "That was so _awesome_, you guys! Great job!"

His pokemon preened under the praise, puffing out their chests and lifting up their chins and Pikachu hopped back up onto his shoulder, chirping happily, "Pikapi!"

He ran a hand over Pikachu's head, listening as the others congratulated and praised their pokemon as well.

"Truly, that was a sight for the ages!" Professor Juniper exclaimed from where he sat, "Such a remarkable display of teamwork!"

Ash rubbed the back of his head, but glowed in the praise. Finally, something good was happening for them!

But then Colress had to spoil the moment, "I wouldn't celebrate just yet. The energy readings around us are just as strong as ever, and nothing has happened yet that might indicate a way out of here."

"Well, way to spoil da party, chump," Meowth sniffed, crossing his arms moodily.

"I am simply being realistic. We still have a long way to go before we're 'out of the woods', as one might say," Colress replied simply.

"But that's . . . not right."

Ash blinked and turned around, staring at Satoshi with a furrowed brow, "Huh?"

"That's not right," Satoshi said again, this time a little louder, "Something should have happened by now. This isn't right!"

"Whoa, calm down, Satoshi," Ash said, staring at the other boy worriedly, "Everything's fine now. Well, maybe not _fine_, but better. And we'll get out of here soon now, I'm sure!"

"Pikachu," Pikachu added softly.

"But-"

Satoshi's words were ended, however, when the sound of a scuffle, a choked gasp, and several startled gasps got both of their attention, Ash whirling around in alarm and preparing to see another horde of creatures on their way.

Only to find that the problem was coming from a much more internal source.

Ghetsis, who had dropped off Ash's radar as the time and fighting wore on, had swept up behind N and now crushed the remainders of his broken staff to the young man's throat, choking off his air with a vindictive amount of pressure. His single eye looked wild, desperate, like a cornered animal spreading it's claws in preparation for a fight that would decide it's life or death.

"Ghetsis, what are you doing?!" Looker demanded in shock, alarm clear on his face.

"You-!" Concordia growled angrily, Gardevior's eyes glowing red beside her, "I knew it was wrong to save you!"

"Let N go this instant!" Anthea demanded hotly, Gothitelle's eyes flashing crimson.

But the demand only made Ghetsis tighten his already relentless grip, and N clawed desperately at the staff pressed into his neck as it further cut away his air. Gothitelle and Gardevior immediately halted the attack they no doubt had planned, for fear of Ghetsis hurting N further.

"No!" Ghetsis hissed, "No, I will not go back! Not to your prison! I'd rather die!"

"What's gotten into you? Lord Ghetsis-!"

His minion's plea was abruptly cut off by Ghetsis's near frenzied scream, "SILENCE! Silence, all of you, be _QUIET!_"

Ash sent an utterly alarmed look Iris's and Cilan's way, an expression mirrored perfectly on their own faces before turning their eyes back on the raving man. What was going? Why was he acting like this all of a sudden?

"Have you gone crazy?" Professor Juniper shouted.

"I knew the guy was a loon, but this is takin' the claw," Meowth commented in sheer surprise, eyes wide as he observed the scene with his two companions.

A shadow seemed to cross the Team leader's face, and for just the briefest moment, Ash could have sworn he saw _letters _flash over his eye like code across a computer screen, flickering rapidly before disappearing again, all in the span of a single heartbeat.

"This . . . is all your fault!" Ghetsis hissed in N's ear, voice dripping with acid, "All that time and effort _wasted_! All of _this_, because you couldn't perform the one task were you given! If I am to die here, then I can at least take the cause of it _with me!_"

"No, Ghetsis, _stop!_" Anthea cried in despair.

Ash was running before he even really knew his feet were moving, only knowing he had to do something _now _or else things could get really bad, for N in particular. Looker had run forward as well, able to get close enough due to Ghetsis's lack of attention and grabbing the staff with his own two hands, jerking it away from N's throat and leaving a gap wide enough for N to slip free, gasping and coughing as he stumbled away.

Ash caught him before he could hit the floor, glancing worriedly at the angry red bruise forming across his neck in ugly blotches and asking, "N? N, are you okay?!"

N could only muster up enough strength to give him a weak nod.

"N!" Both Concordia and Anthea shouted, running to their foster brother's side.

Leaving him to their care, Ash took stock of the situation and saw the Looker was still warring with Ghetsis over possession of the staff, with Iris and Cilan trying to restrain the lunatic in a valiant effort to contain the situation. How had this situation sprung up so quickly? What-?

A hand grabbed his shoulder and shook him hard, and Ash turned to see that Satoshi was kneeling next to him, eyes frantic and face pale, "I know what's wrong! The Witch! It's the Witch!"

_Witch . . . ? _

Then the ground rumbled and quaked.

It was the only warning any of them got before the floor just before them suddenly shattered and imploded outward, spraying them all with a hail of tile and earth as a huge, monstrous head rose up from gaping hole left behind, dirt and bits of rubble rolling off it's bronze mask with a series of sharp clatters.

One bright, kaleidoscopic eye leveled on them, and Ash felt his heart and mind completely _freeze_.

Then it was rushing them, bronze maw gaping wide.

It all happened so fast. One moment, he was looking a black, yawning abyss in the face, and the next a bright red aura of psychic energy was hurling him and Satoshi across the platform to safety. In that span, he got brief snatches of what was happening around him; his friends fleeing, his pokemon scattering, N, Concordia, and Anthea being walled into the protective shell of Gardevior's and Gothitelle's combined Protect, Looker landing beside him as the psychic energy pulled him away from Ghetsis . . .

. . . and Ghetsis left standing alone right in the oncoming creature's path.

The creature's mask slammed face-first into the tile way, head burying itself deep into the wrought stone and blocking the rest of his friends from view save for the ones sitting beside him, the crash so enormous it hurt his ears. Dust flew up in a thick, choking cloud, the turbulent gust tearing at his hair and clothes and making his eyes sting until it finally settled and cleared. And in that time, all he could do was simply sit in stunned, shocked silence. A silence that went unbroken, as no one dared speak, only stare at the long, bronze body the monster sitting before them in quiet horror.

Then it shifted, and pulled it's head from the ruin it had created, rock and tile clattering together as the movement further displaced them. To Ash's infinite relief, as soon as the thing moved he could clearly see his friends sitting on the opposite side of the cleft beside the rest of Team Plasma and their pokemon, and Professor Juniper and Team Rocket still perched upon the wall, staring down in stupefied astonishment.

Of Ghetsis, there was no sign.

Sitting there, all Ash could come up with through the startled, frazzled haze of his thoughts was _how_? How had this thing not been taken down by that combined attack? How could it still be moving, looking so unhurt, so unfazed, and so without a care?

Could . . . could they really not beat this thing? Were they truly that helpless?

But then the creature turned it's head to the left just slightly, and it's large, shifting eye alighted right with his own, and all thoughts ceased.

A flash of color, almost imperceptible but catching his eye nonetheless, dragged his horrified attention downward to rest on it's fanged mouth. At first, he thought it was just his imagination, but then, as his eyes focused, he saw a faint smear across the length of the thing's largest, most prominent fang . . . a smear of something shiny and wet and _red_.

That was when true, unfettered terror gripped Ash to his very core.

If they couldn't even hurt it with so many attacks . . . then what hope did they have of defeating it for good? What hope did they have of making it out of here? What hope did they have at _all_?

Ash had only ever felt this helpless a few times in his life, but never was such a feeling any easier to swallow. And never more did it feel so terrifyingly poignant as it did right then. Because they were going to die, and there was nothing he could do to save his friends. He couldn't even save_ himself _now! There was nothing he could do! There was nothing anyone could do!

Then a hand gripped his shoulder, a real, physical touch that gently pulled him back, away from the terrifying maw before him and shattering the dark cage of fear his mind had locked him into.

"It's okay," was that . . . his own voice passing him by?

No, it was_ Satoshi's_ voice! Satoshi's voice, soft and unerringly calm, standing in front of him with his back straight and speaking as if nothing were wrong at all, "I know what to do now."

Satoshi then flung his hand out, and Ash's eyes alighted on the ring as it glowed brightly and shifted forms, sparks of ephemeral radiance flying around the gem as it rematerialized into being. Then it's glow grew brighter, and brighter, and brighter still, a light that engulfed Satoshi's entire form in a halo of azure light that rendered physicality meaningless.

There was a flash of fast, almost imperceptible movement, and suddenly the monster was reeling back, screeching and screaming as a long, spear-like weapon embedded itself into it's eye, whorls of dark, static-y energy pouring from the wound in place of blood.

And when the light exploded outwards into a shower of glass-like shards, transparent and glittering beautifully, Satoshi stood before them, appearance radically transformed.

Gone were the clothes Ash had lent him, and in their place was an outfit Ash could only call austere. A dark blue vest held in place by a row of silver buttons was wrapped around his torso, silver trim sewn along the bottom edge of the vest like a vein of starlight against a midnight background. An azure cape was clasped around his shoulders, swallow-tailed and trimmed with silver, the tips falling only to his thighs rather than the floor. His arms were bare, save for the flared gloves on his hands and the single silver armband around his right upper arm, the polished metal glinting acutely in the gloom. Dark blue breeches covered his legs, and a pair of equally dark, knee-high boots was on each foot, each one bearing a folded silver cuff with a small blue gemstone nestled between the flaps of each. On his head sat a wide-rimmed hat with a sharp notch on the left side just above his ear, a single feather of pearlescent starlight rising from the silver band wrapped around the bottom of the hat. And centered right over his collarbone, serving as the cape's clasp, was a large, dark blue gem wrapped in silver filigree, a perfectly symmetric eight-pointed star that was both striking and haunting in it's beauty.

"S- . . . Satoshi?" Ash asked in shock, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Pika . . ." Pikachu breathed in rapt awe.

Satoshi didn't answer. Instead, he merely held up a hand and, in a coruscating flash of ethereal blue light, a long, shining glaive appeared , sparkling silver and grey and falling neatly into Satoshi's hand as if it belonged there. Then, with definite ease, he whisked it forward, blade-first, at the monster.

_The first figure raised a hand, a long, spear-like object materializing into being over their head in a flash of azure light before whisking it forward, blade-first, towards the other . . ._

Ash blinked as the vague memory of the nightmare returned to the forefront of his mind, and he started in confusion. What . . . had that been?

So startled was he by the memory, Ash only just caught Satoshi's next, final words.

"I know what to do."

* * *

Dun-dun-DUUUN!

Next chappie, epic Witch vs Magical Boy(girl) battle! Stay tuned to see!

And now it's time for - Handy Dandy Translations!

_Ein Spiel! Ein Spiel! Es ist Ziet ein Spiel! Aufwachen! Aufwachen! Es ist Ziet ein Spiel! - _A game! A game! It's time to play a game! Wake up! Wake up! It's time to play a

game!

_Neue Freunde! Neue Freunde! Neue Freunde sind fur Sie da! __Aufwachen! Aufwachen! Weil jetzt du nicht allein bist!_ - New friends! New friends! New friends are here for you!

Wake up! Wake up! Because now you're not alone!

Rate and review, if you like. :)


	9. I'll Protect You

Heeeeey-o! We're back, and ready to kick some ass! :D

I hope you're all ready for the fun time ahead! :3

Also . . . is this a fast enough update, darkponyD? *blows kiss*

Also, also . . . cue that fucking Magia, because this shit is about to go _down_.

Obligatory Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

I'll Protect You

Ash sat there, stunned beyond words, only vaguely aware of the looks of bewildered awe being shared between his companions. His jaw practically scraped the floor, it fell so far, and he knew his eyes must have appeared huge to anyone who looked at him then.

A quiet, yet tense calm fell over the area, thick and stifling as a cloud of cinders. Satoshi's stance was firm and fierce, all traces of the fear he'd exhibited before gone and his eyes perfectly focused and never leaving the monster that now hovered above them. For once, the creature seemed wary and on edge, a far cry from the confidence it had displayed before in it's pursuit of Ash and his friends. But now, it almost seemed . . . afraid. And the wound in it's eye was more than likely the reason why.

But the illusion of peace came to an abrupt end when a torrential cacophony suddenly rose from the forest, swelling like a tidal wave before cresting down again as the shadows came alive. The rest of the monsters, the horde that had chased them before, had returned, each one chattering ominously within the shadows of the roots.

Then a bloodcurdling screech sounded off from the blackness behind him, and Ash heard Iris scream, "ASH, WATCH OUT!"

He heard the monster's approach before he saw it, time seeming to slow down as he whirled around in panicked alarm. There was a glint of silver claws, a flash of bronze, and for a single, terrifying moment, Ash was sure he was about to die.

A shadow suddenly swept over his head, and he heard a sharp _shiing_ accompany it as something long and metallic lashed out and struck the creature in the chest, slicing it cleanly in two. Ash spun around again, staring in startled bewilderment when he saw Satoshi standing over him, the arm holding the glaive swept out to his right, the cold steel glinting dangerously.

_Did . . . Satoshi do that just now?_ Ash wondered, unable to find the words necessary to ask aloud. Ash genuinely wasn't sure what had just happened. It had all happened so _fast_ . . .

But the wonders did not halt there. As the dark murmurings and growling grew louder and more frenetic within the trees, Satoshi reached up and gripped the rim of his hat and, with a quick, graceful flick of his wrist, sent it spinning wildly up into the air. Ash watched it spin, transfixed by the motion, when he saw several long, stiff shapes suddenly emerge from the bowl of the hat as if they'd been flung out by some unseen hand, moving in perfect sync, one right after the other.

He jumped when one of objects suddenly speared itself into the ground right next to him, and he saw by the gleam of it's sharp edge that it was another glaive. And still others fell, one landing beside N, Anthea, and Concordia, another by Iris, Cilan, and the rest of Team Plasma, and still one more right beside Team Rocket, Colress and Professor Juniper. Once the glaives had fallen to their respective places, the hat twirled back down to the ground, where Satoshi caught it with ease and casually slipped it back onto his head.

_What-?_

His question (only one out of the many he had, admittedly) was answered when the spears embedded into the ground glowed a bright, vivid shade of blue, and thin fields of azure-tinted energy rippled out from the upturned ends of the glaives and fell around them like rippling curtains. The moment the strange force touched the ground, it faded again to transparency, but even if he couldn't see it, Ash could still feel the pulse of the energy all around him.

Above him, the monster let out another, soul-numbing roar, and the pavement suddenly seemed to come alive with the writhing, twisted forms of its minions as they all simultaneously burst from the shelter of the roots and charged. Closing it's bronze jaws, the big monster swerved around and vanished into the roots, crashing through the boughs and sending up a huge cloud of dust and shattered splinters.

Ash saw there approach, the chaotic tumble of limbs and bronze masks rolling towards them like a wave truly terrifying to behold and feeling his mind go blank with fear. Around him, his pokemon stood upright, determined to protect their trainer despite the near impossible odds and the fear that flashed in their eyes.

"It's okay."

The words, spoken so calmly, should have gone unheard in the state of panic Ash was in. Yet somehow, they managed to pierce through the furious roaring of the blood pounding in his ears and snap him out of his dark thoughts. And when Ash tore his eyes away from the horde to stare at Satoshi, and he finally saw the expression on the other boy's face, all noise seemed to fall unnaturally silent. Because despite the circumstances, despite the monsters all around them and the terrible, terrible sense of doom that weighed down on all of their shoulders like a steel weight . . .

. . . Satoshi was _smiling_.

"I promise . . . " he said softly, face gentle and glaive resting almost idly in his hands, "I'll protect you."

And sound returned when Satoshi's grip tightened and he ran forward, right passed him and straight into the avalanche of oncoming monsters.

Ash, on pure instinct, shot to his feet and held out a hand, desperate to stop him, only to slam into the shield placed there by the glaive beside him. Pressing his hands on the invisible wall before him, the touch sending ripples of blue light across the air, Ash could only watch as Satoshi's entire form was swallowed by the writhing mass.

"SATOSHI!"

* * *

Satoshi didn't know who he was. He didn't know where he was from. He didn't know how he had gotten here. Of his past, there was nothing there at all save for a blank white, seemingly endless canvas devoid of any color or life.

But in the time since waking up, there were a few things he'd come to learn; That Cilan was an amazing cook, a purveyor of many different hobbies, and enjoyed simple, pleasant conversation. That Iris was free-spirited and loved fruit and wholeheartedly adored Axew. That Pikachu, though small, was stalwart and loyal, and liked being scratched right between his ears. That Ash-the boy who for some reason shared his face-was highly energetic and lively, and that the only thing that mattered more to him than battles were his pokemon and his friends.

And each and every one of them had shown him a kindness that he thought he'd never be able to repay.

It was true, in the beginning he'd been a little ungrateful at first. But back then, everything had been shadowed by a perpetually dark cloud that never seemed to leave, a forlorn and bitter misery that clung to him like a grime he couldn't wipe away. A deep, drowning loneliness born of knowing, with certainty, that he didn't belong.

_Who am I? Where am I from? Did I even have a place? Do I even want to know?_

Those questions were the only ones he'd had in the beginning. No answers ever came. They'd promised to help him find the answers, he remembered . . . but he also remembered thinking, _believing_, that there was no help for him. How could there be? How could they help? They were from this place, and he was from . . . someplace else. Or perhaps he'd never had a place at all, and that thought never failed to push him deeper into that dark cloud. But still, they'd persisted in being nice. They'd tried, time and again, to prove their intentions as honest. And he'd known they were honest, from the very beginning. He'd known them as good from the moment they first met. But their displays of kindness, of open arms and smiles . . . had never failed to hurt. Hurt deeply, for reasons he couldn't begin to understand. He'd felt he hadn't deserved any of it, though exactly why so remained an elusive mystery to him. So eventually, in a spur-of-the-moment decision most would call foolish, he'd tried to leave.

Then Ash had found him again.

_We're friends, okay?_

Those were the words that finally broke through that dark cloud, a single ray of light that brought with it a sparkle of hope. And slowly, that ray grew brighter and bigger with every interaction after that, with every smile sent his what and with every hand outstretched to his own, until that cloud soon dissipated into harmless tatters.

That was when he finally learned something crucially important; he had _friends_.

Friends . . . in a world where he was but a stranger, he had friends. It almost seemed an alien concept to grasp at first, but the more he'd thought about it, the more he liked the idea. It led to wondering . . . did he have friends where he was from? Were they like Ash, Iris, and Cilan?

He couldn't know. He might never. But he had made friends here, now, and he had supposed that that was what was important.

So he wished, he wished with all his heart, that he had remembered the danger that had lain below the Ruins sooner. Maybe then, those same friends wouldn't be in this terrible situation. A terrible situation he felt he'd experienced before, a situation he'd unwittingly led them all into. Yes, he'd known more than them, at least instinctually. But that didn't mean he'd known what he'd been _doing_. He'd had no idea if where he was leading them was to their deaths or not, no way of knowing if even his scant knowledge (if one could call it that) would be enough to see them through.

So it came as no surprise that while here, in this maze without end, he learned something else; the fear . . . no, the _terror_, of _losing_ those friends.

Friends who'd shown him kindness. Friends who'd shared the wonders of their world with him, an outsider who didn't belong. Friends that had promised to help him find the truth even when they didn't have to. Friends who'd given him meaning where he felt he once had none.

Satoshi didn't know a lot of things, least of all about himself.

But if there was one thing he knew now, without a single shred of doubt, it was that he'd _save _them. With this power that had awoken from deep within, he would destroy this creature, this _Witch_, no matter the cost to himself.

For the ones who'd given him identity and friendship . . . that he _vowed_.

That was his last thought as he dove practically head-first into the torrent of enemies, their screeching cries sounding muted to his ears. And there, he set to work.

With movements born of muscle memory, Satoshi twisted the glaive in his hands and spun in a sharp, three hundred sixty degree spin, the sharp edge cleaving through a multitude of the minions in one swing. He didn't let off the steam. Twisting left and right, dodging and weaving as the creatures all turned on him, he jabbed left, right, up, swung, stabbed, watching one fall right after the other.

There was a roar, and big brute lumbered toward him, meaty hands cracking the stone under it with every pound. Dodging another swipe of claws, Satoshi ran forward and jumped into the air, using the shoulders of two smaller creatures as springboards and launching himself skyward.

The brute dug it's fingers into the rock as he sailed over it's head, but Satoshi was already where he wanted to be. So, with a sharp spin, Satoshi dug the glaive deep into the monster's shoulder, holding on tight as the brute started to thrash. Without wasting time, Satoshi slid down the staff of the weapon and used his weight to drive the heels of his feet into it's back, driving the brute to it's knees. Pinned and with the advantage, Satoshi proceeded to pull the glaive out and, spinning it in one revolving circle, he severed the brute's head from it's shoulders, ending it before it could retaliate.

A scream made him sharply turn his head, and he grit his teeth in anger when he saw some of the small creatures attempting to attack the people he was protecting. So far, the shields he'd put up were holding, the things merely bouncing back every time they attempted to lunge at them. But he wasn't about to leave everything to chance.

Leaping back into the sky, bypassing the remaining enemies that tried to claw at him, Satoshi extended the hand not holding his glaive and snapped his fingers. Immediately, seven other glaives materialized beside him in a flash of blue light, remaining suspended in the air seemingly of their own accord.

Faster than most could perceive, Satoshi went on a spree of grabbing each individual glaive and hurling them with deadly accuracy, each one spearing a creature in the back and efficiently ending their onslaught. Falling back to the ground, he summoned yet another of the polished weapons and readied himself for another attack.

He was aware, however, that he couldn't tarry on these creatures forever. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a glimmer of thought, perhaps even a vague, faint memory, told him he had to take down the monster controlling all of this if he wanted to bring this horror show to an end. The master of this labyrinth.

The Witch.

And so he couldn't continue fending off the little ones in this dance of parries and jabs. It would waste too much energy and time, as well as . . . as well as . . .

. . . Magic? Yes . . . that sounded right. Too much magic.

Though how he had this gift, he couldn't even begin to guess.

But that was contemplation for another time. Right now, he needed to remain focused. Focused, and fierce.

And needing to wrap this up now before things got out of control again.

_Change . . ._

The thought was like a spoken whisper, almost throwing him off as he blocked another set of claws from slicing him across the face, sparks flying from the two attacks as they grated against one another.

_Change . . ._

Again, right as he jumped over several of the creatures and landed behind them before shooting forward and cutting them all as he ran by. Change . . . change sounded familiar. Like how 'Witch' sounded familiar. Perhaps . . . yes, it had something to do with these powers, didn't it? No, he was sure.

_Change . . ._

He came to a halt amidst the horde and abruptly fell to his knees, driving the glaive's pointed end deep into the stonework and folding his hands over the staff as if in prayer. Focusing, breathing deep, he felt the power, that surge of magic that had first reminded him of the potential that lay inside that mysterious gem, flow into his being. He needed something that would take care of all his enemies at once. Something reliable, destructive, all encompassing . . .

An idea came to him, and a rare, dangerous smile tweaked the corners of his lips. All around him, the horde closed in, ready to destroy, their claws prepared to rip and tear and kill.

They'd never get that chance.

"Change."

The earth around him suddenly morphed and twisted, flowing from hard stone into a river of molten rock so quickly it was as if it were made of quicksilver. All around him the monsters thrashed and screamed as the magma pulled them under, melting the bronze of their masks as their 'skin' was scorched from their bodies. The change spread, enveloping the whole platform save for the small patches of land where his friends sat, safe from the heat. The rest of the horde was afforded no such mercy, and soon the last scream died away into nothing but half-forgotten echo.

Satoshi immediately killed the magic flow, feeling his muscles tremble and his chest heave as he leaned forward, panting. All around him, the river of lava immediately transmogrified back into sheets of tiled stone, as if they'd never been changed at all.

Too much magic, he decided. He needed to be more careful in the future . . . he couldn't afford to make any mistakes.

Under him, the ground rumbled.

He had just enough time to dive forward, dodging just in the nick of time as the Witch burst up from the tiled floor, bronze fangs gnashing together hungrily. Flipping around, Satoshi landed on his feet and slid to a stop, eyes flashing as he eyed the Witch angrily. _This_ was the cause of all this chaos. _This_ was the reason why his friends were in so much danger.

He'd destroy it, if it was the last thing he'd ever do.

The Witch roared and dove at him, but Satoshi was ready. Leaping up over the Witch's fangs, he landed feet first on it's masked head and began to run along it's bronze body, keeping on the move to keep from falling off. Twisting around, the Witch rose up higher into the air, the kaleidoscope eye he thought he had destroyed glowing as brightly as it ever had before.

The Witch unleashed a mighty roar, and all around them the roots began to twist and writhe, shooting up from their coiled positions like the stalks of a corn plant and launching themselves at Satoshi seemingly of their own accord. He jumped over every branch that came close, but he never ceased running because he knew death waited for him for him if he stopped. A few of it's minions, ones who'd survived his last attack by sheer luck, swept up the branches themselves at the order of their master, hollow sockets still seeming to gleam with hunger as they rushed him. It was easy enough beating them back with a few well-timed strikes of his glaive, using force to knock them from their perches and send them tumbling to their doom.

But that last attack he'd meted out had zapped at the reserves of his strength, dulling his reflexes with the faint trappings of exhaustion, and was thus a little slower than he'd anticipated. A fact he was jarringly made aware of when he made to leap over another branch only to mistime the jump and instead take a brunt, brutal hit to the chest.

"_Ah!_"

Pain blossomed along his chest, burning horribly to the point where he genuinely wasn't sure if he'd broken something or not. But he couldn't give up now. He couldn't let the pain stop him. Especially not with his friends lives on the line.

So, steeling himself, Satoshi spun around and sliced another oncoming branch in half as he fell, cutting it from tip to about midway down it's length before breaking away and hacking into another that had swept up by his flank. Digging the blade of his staff into the root, he halted his fall before he could become a formless stain on the stone below, arms straining as he held on. His chest still hurt horribly, but he grit his teeth and persevered, swinging up and over the staff as if it were a gymnast's pole and balancing on the vertical shaft, panting heavily as he pressed a hand to his chest. Far below him, the Witch hissed, a cold, dreadful sound meant to instill fear.

Then, for just a moment, a terrible bout of dizziness nearly overwhelmed him as the pain flared, and his shoulder landed against the branch besides him as he nearly lost his precarious balance. The pain was starting to win out.

This . . . wasn't good.

Far, far below both Satoshi and the Witch, Ash watched the ensuing battle with nothing short of awestruck amazement, a sentiment shared by _everyone_ watching the fight unfold.

_ How is Satoshi doing all of this?!_ he wondered in shock, _Did he have this power the whole time?!_

His questions wouldn't be receiving answers anytime soon, even though they had plagued him since the beginning of Satoshi's rather impressive fight. For impressive was all he could call it, really. Satoshi was obviously an incredibly skilled fighter, and his powers were nothing to sneeze at either. He'd taken care of an entire army with ease, turning the rock into a _giant lava flow_ to do it, when Ash and his friends had struggled to destroy just a scant few.

Now he was fighting the big one, the monster responsible for all of this. What had he called it? A . . . witch?

"Pikapi . . . " Pikachu murmured beside, ears pressed flat to his head as he watched the fight with concern shining in his black eyes.

"I know, buddy," Ash responded softly, unable to take his eyes away from the fight above.

A gasp of shock escaped his lips when he saw Satoshi get hit, panic threatening to overwhelm him again as he watched him fall. Around him, he heard exclamations and frightened cries sound off as everyone watched the same thing, despairing and afraid. But Satoshi was quick to save it, catching himself with one of the roots and stopping his deadly plunge before balancing on one of his glaives.

But even from here, Ash could see he looked like he was hurting. And in a pretty bad way, too. He . . . he might not be able to hold out for much longer . . .

"He's not doing well up there . . ." Looker said worriedly, looking through the specs of his binoculars with rapt, unwavering focus.

"Pikachu . . ." Pikachu mumbled again. All around, his pokemon gave low murmurs of agreement, postures tense and deeply troubled. Oshawott had clasped his paws together in solemn silence, Pignite had pressed his lips together into a thin, troubled line, and Krookodile had folded his arms over his chest and anyone who bothered to look would see the tightness in his muscles as he watched the fight in troubled silence. Even Charizard, who'd normally been so standoffish when it came to Satoshi, looked concerned. Any other time, Ash would have been happy at the change of his mood from anything that wasn't distrust. But now . . .

_I promise . . . I'll protect you._

The words rang through Ash's mind like a pealing bell, ringing loud and very clear. For them . . . Satoshi was fighting like this for them. He was getting hurt like this for them! To protect them! To _save_ them!

But after a time of watching Satoshi fight so fearlessly and so determinedly, without a care for what happened to his own person, awoke something in Ash's heart; a spark that had been snuffed out when fear and panic began to overwhelm him in the midst of helpless despair. A spark that, once lit, began to grow and grow until it blazed, burning away that same fear that held him rooted to his spot, unable to take even the slightest step.

Just what was he _doing_?! Just standing here, being useless, being too afraid to do anything other than quiver in his shoes like a coward! He wasn't Team Rocket! He was Ash Ketchum, and he wasn't supposed to let someone, especially a friend, fight all by themselves in a situation as dangerous as this!

And Ash felt the fire, the one that was stoked during every pokemon battle, the one that burned bright whenever he was fighting people like Team Plasma, return in full and remind him of exactly why he'd wanted to be a trainer in the first place. To help people. To protect people!

And how could he call himself a trainer if he didn't start doing something _now?_! He might be trapped inside this little bubble Satoshi had put up, but that didn't mean he couldn't do something!

He had to reach Satoshi somehow, remind him that he wasn't fighting this battle alone. And there was only one way he could think to do it now.

So, gritting his teeth hard, he walked forward and slammed his fist into the shield, uncaring for the pain as he looked up and yelled as loudly as he could, "SATOSHI! WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T GIVE UP! YOU CAN BEAT THIS THING, I KNOW YOU CAN!"

"PIKACHU!" Pikachu added loudly, high-pitched voice ringing loudly over the fields of smoke and dust when he realized what Ash was trying to do.

"OSHAWOTT!" Oshawott shouted as well, jumping up and down and eyes glowing fiercely.

"PIGNITE!" Pignite cried, flexing his arms out in a display of strength, fire flaring around his nostrils.

"KROOKODILE!" Krookodile shouted, punching a clawed fist into the air in encouragement.

Then, fanning his wings and spreading his arms, Charizard unleashed a mighty roar followed by a breath of flame, one that cried of courage to any who heard it, and Ash felt the fire in his own heart burn stronger.

"YEAH!" Ash heard Iris shout alongside him, finding her own courage as well, "WE ALL BELEIVE IN YOU! YOU CAN _WIN_!"

"AXEEEW!" Axew screamed from her shoulder, standing upright on his tiny legs and waving his arms over his head.

Even Cilan, normally the more reserved of the trio, raised his own voice in order to be heard, "WE'RE ALL CHEERING YOU ON! YOU'RE NOT FIGHTING ALONE!"

"PANSAGE!" Pansage shouted alongside his trainer fierily.

"CRUSTLE!" Crustle added in, claws snapping.

Ash had no idea if he could hear him, but he hoped, he prayed Satoshi could.

Little did he know that Gardevior and Gothitelle, both acting under N's plea, had taken those thoughts and projected them up, up, up, right to the one he needed to hear them the most.

And hear them Satoshi did.

_You're not fighting alone!_

_ You can win!_

_ You can beat this thing, I know you can!_

Encouragement, loud and suddenly so very clear, broke through the haze of pain settling on Satoshi's mind, and he stubbornly pushed himself back to his feet. That was right. He wasn't fighting this alone, was he? They _believed _in him.

And they were counting on him. He was the only one who could save them now. He would not misplace that trust, not even if the hounds of hell were snapping at his heels.

He would _win!_

Summoning another glaive to his hand, Satoshi bunched his muscles tight and sprung into dizzying space, falling fast and falling far as he made a direct beeline for the Witch's head. The Witch growled, and several more twisting, cracking roots rose up from the ground, shooting toward him at a terrifying speed.

But Satoshi was ready. With carefully timed twists and turns, he weaved around the boughs that came flying at him, cutting into one before hacking into another with a strength fueled by the heartening cries of his friends. This deadly dance happened in only the mere seconds it took for Satoshi to fall. But seconds was all he needed.

And, when at last the Witch realized it's peril and summoned forth a shield of bramble to protect itself, Satoshi had been ready for that as well. Aligning his body so he and the glaive were parallel to each other, Satoshi's eye glinted with ferocity as the wall rushed up to meet him while a blue aura began to glow around his body.

"Change!"

And he stabbed the glaive deep into the wood.

The bark wavered and melted as if it were made of candle wax, shifting into a multitudinous number of other, far smaller forms in the blink of an eye. Instantly, his eyes were met with a riotous blend of color as a huge cloud of flowers began to fall from the sky, dancing and twirling in the air as if it were perfectly natural for them to be there. And through the bright display of color rose a single, kaleidoscopic eye, one which glared at him hatefully as it's protection was ripped away from it.

But now, it was too late for it to defend itself, and Satoshi brought the glaive down and buried it deep into it's eye.

The creature screamed and thrashed furiously in an attempt to dislodge him, but this time Satoshi did not let go, refusing to make the same mistake of leaving it alone to heal like last time. With teeth bared in savage fury, Satoshi leaned forward and pushed the staff as far as it would go, ignoring the thick, putrid wisps of black energy that poured from the wound in droves.

The tip of the glaive scraped something . . . something hard and metallic . . . and Satoshi knew instantly what he'd just found. So, with one, final push of magic, he sent it forth in a scything spear that pierced the heart that lay beyond, shattering it completely.

The Witch stilled, and Satoshi finally ended the magic he'd been maintaining, watching as the flowers transformed back into harmless chips of broken wood. They never hit the ground, however, as the body below him glowed brightly and suddenly exploded out in a furious wave of collected hate and malice that was just as quick to disappear.

The Witch had been destroyed.

All around, black roots dissolved away into shadows, tiled floors disappeared and were replaced by old, old, moss-covered stone, and the very air warped and twisted until at long, long last, an orange-tinted sky finally penetrated through the bramble that had kept them caged for so long.

Falling back to the ground, Satoshi landed perfectly on his feet, catching the glaive easily before it could hit the ground and standing with his chin raised as he watched the nightmare come to an end.

It was ending . . . he may be exhausted, but it was finally ending.

Ash watched in awe as the dark, nightmarish maze seemed to collapse in on itself, twisting and warping away to nothing, as if it had never existed at all. High above, Ash saw a sudden, though slight, movement, one which put him on edge after his experiences in the maze. But as he watched, he realized it wasn't a person or a monster, or anything of the sort falling toward him. It fluttered to and fro from here to there, twirling and spinning until at last it came to rest at Ash's very feet.

His hat.

And the moment the fabric touched the ground, the last trappings of the illusion dissolved, and Ash blinked in wonder when he saw himself and his friends all standing together in the White Ruins once more, alive, unharmed, and safe.

A smile broke out across Ash's face when he saw this, and a joy so profound it was almost overwhelming coursed into his veins like fire, "Alright, Satoshi _did it!_"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried, and he leapt in to Ash's arms. Ash was all too happy to return the embrace, and soon he was nearly lost under a pile of bodies, small and large, as his pokemon shared in the hug as well.

"We're back!" Iris cried in delight, hugging Axew and the rest of her pokemon in abject delight as tears of relief misted over her eyes, "_We're back!_"

Cilan could only laugh joyously at the realization of their return, small tears appearing in the corners of his eyes as he embraced his own pokemon in their turn.

Beside him, Looker dropped his binoculars, running a hand through his hair as he exhaled shakily, "That . . . was definitely an experience . . . "

"We're alive, Jesse!" James shouted in delight.

"We're alive, James!" Jesse shouted at the same time, clasping her partner's hands.

"Team Rocket lives ta blast off another day!" Meowth cried, jumping up and down in joy.

"And look!" Ash heard Professor Juniper cry, "It looks like everyone else is alright too!"

"The pokemon as well!" N added, smiling.

Ash looked, and watched with relief as other people and pokemon rose up from around the Ruins, looking stunned and a little dazed, but mostly unharmed. They'd made it back safely too.

And they all had Satoshi to thank for it.

Turning to said boy, Ash saw that he was watching them with only the smallest of smiles, but there was a happiness in his eyes that made Ash's own smile grow wider. It was only then that Ash also realized that the strange clothes Satoshi had worn before were gone, and the gemstone was back in his hand. Although . . . was it just him or did it's glow seem a little . . . dimmer?

Such thoughts didn't bother him for long, because right now, in his relief, he couldn't care less.

Running toward him, Ash shouted, "Satoshi!"

Satoshi looked at him, faint smile growing just a little wider, just a little more relieved, as Ash came to stop just in front of him, "Hi, Ash."

"Are you okay?" Ash asked, looking the other boy up an down, very much aware of the hit he'd taken in the fight.

"Just . . . very tired," Satoshi responded, and it was true, he did sound so. But that had no right to surprise Ash, not at this point.

By now, the others had gathered around him as well, Cilan quick to chip in, "We can get plenty of rest soon, I'd say. I don't know about any of you, but I feel like I could sleep for a week!"

"Well, I feel like I could sleep for an entire year!" Iris commented, holding Axew close to her chest.

"Before you do any of that, however," Looker cut in, arms crossed and eyes on Satoshi, "Believe me when I say that I have a couple of questions for you."

"Oh, come now, detective!" Professor Juniper said, patting him on the shoulder, "While it's true we all have questions on our minds, I think before even that, we owe Satoshi our thanks! We would have been in a lot of trouble had he not been here today!"

"Yeah, I'll say! Thanks Satoshi!" Iris said, her gratitude plain for all to see.

"Axew!" Axew chirped in agreement.

"A fair enough point," Looker finally agreed, allowing his face to relax, "You do deserve that, at least. In the meantime . . ."

Turning around, his eyes alighted on Team Plasma, "Don't think I've forgotten about you."

But Colress and the two grunts didn't seem like they'd even tried to escape in the short time attention had been off of them.

The reason for why became clear when the young woman, who had removed her mask, looked at them through strangely glazed eyes and whispered, "Where's Lord Ghetsis?"

Silence fell over them all, and Ash's hands involuntarily curled into fists when a memory flashed through his mind:

_He_ _saw a faint smear across the length of the thing's largest, most prominent fang . . . a smear of something shiny and wet and _red_._

No one spoke. Ash knew it was because they all remembered the same thing. And no one answered the woman's question, because no one wanted to speak aloud what they now knew had transpired. Ghetsis wasn't here, and there was only one reason why. But no one said a word.

It was in that silence that Iris, who had lowered her head, caught something out of the corner of her eye. A slight movement as something rolled next to her foot, and when she properly looked at it, she found it far more odd than she could have anticipated.

A small, black, egg-like object, a ring of grey, fang-like protrusions looped around it's center. It balanced upright on the tip of extremely thin spire, which should have been impossible. But then, who was she to say what was impossible after everything she'd just been through. So, in the quiet that remained unbroken, she leaned down and gently picked it up.

At the same time, the distant sound of sirens suddenly cut through the air, growing louder and sharper with every passing moment.

* * *

The time between returning from that nightmare-scape and finally being settled into a Pokemon Center at a nearby port town passed by in a blur for Ash. He remembered sirens, red lights, Team Plasma being arrested and Team Rocket disappearing, giving his pokemon to Nurse Joy, and all the rest was just an incomprehensible jumble. With all he had on his mind, it wasn't a surprise.

Especially when he got the news that Ghetsis, as well as several others, could not be found.

Now he and his friends sat together on a couch in a private room Looker had booked for them, seated side by side as the silence in the room dragged. Only three other occupants shared the room with them; Professor Juniper and Looker, both of whom sat on the couch opposite them, and N, who had refused to be left out of the conversation for obvious reasons and now stood by the half-open window, staring out through the pane of glass almost contemplatively. It had been agreed amongst the four of them, Satoshi included, that they couldn't, nor _shouldn't_, keep the truth from the three men in front of them any longer. After what they'd been through, they deserved at least some answers.

And after the real story had been told, it was met with a surprising amount of trust. None had dismissed it nor disparaged it, something which Ash felt grateful for considering how outlandish it sounded.

"So . . ." Professor Juniper started after a while, "You aren't actually Ash's brother?"

Satoshi shook his head, "No."

"And you have no explanation for what happened back at the White Ruins?" Looker asked as well.

Again Satoshi shook his head, "No. All I know is that it has something to do with this."

Holding out his hand, he allowed the gem to rematerialize on his palm, where it sat innocuously, innocently, belying the amazing power held within. But up close like this, Ash could see that's it light was indeed far dimmer than it normally was. The muted glow made him worry that something might be wrong.

He was not the only one who noticed, as Cilan was quick to point out in concern, "Um, Satoshi, I know I'm hardly an expert on this, but is your gem supposed to be that . . . dull?"

"Yeah, now that you mention it, it does look a littler dimmer than normal, doesn't it?" Iris asked, staring at the jewel.

"I'm . . . not sure," Satoshi responded, "And even if I did, I don't know how to fix it."

"Is it alright if I see it for a moment?"

All four looked at N, who'd finally stepped away from the window and was looking at Satoshi earnestly, "I promise, I just want to look at it."

Satoshi was quiet for a moment before nodding and holding it up, "Alright. Please be careful with it."

"I will," N said solemnly, gingerly taking the jewel from Satoshi's hand.

He held it up, looking it over with a critical eye and slowly turning it around, brow furrowed deep before murmuring quietly, "How very strange . . ."

"What's strange?" Ash asked.

"Pikachu?" Pikachu questioned as well, tilting his head to one side.

"It's . . . almost as if I can hear a voice from deep within. But it's not a pokemon's voice. In fact, it . . . sounds like Satoshi's," N explained softly.

"You can hear Satoshi's voice in that thing?" Iris asked in wonder, "How?"

"I'm honestly not sure. The voices I'm accustomed to hearing are only the voices of pokemon, so this is a little new to me. However," he gave Satoshi a serious look as he held the gem back out to him, "Whatever this is, I feel it's tied to you more closely than we can understand. Keep it safe."

Satoshi nodded, taking the gem back and visibly relaxing once he did so.

Professor Juniper crossed his arms, frowning, "Well, I suppose those are all the answers we can get, isn't it? Well, if we can even call those answers."

"It's frustrating to admit, but I do believe you're right Professor," Looker sighed in agreement.

"So . . . you can't come up with a theory about why Satoshi's here?" Ash asked the Professor, looking hopeful.

"As much as I'd like to, unfortunately there isn't enough data for me to analyze to come up with one. It's true, I could take a look at Satoshi's gem, but I don't believe he's exactly willing to have it shoved under a microscope," he glanced at Satoshi, smiling, "Unless you are, in which case, I'm all for it!"

Satoshi immediately shook his head, "No, I'm not."

Ash frowned, eyes falling to the floor. So much for possible answers . . .

"Perhaps I can be of some assistance."

Everyone jumped when a new voice suddenly spoke up from seemingly nowhere, and Ash pressed a hand to the side of his head. That . . . it almost felt like another mind had just brushed against his own. Like . . . telepathy.

"Who's there?!" Looker demanded, rising from his seat.

"Please, there's no need to feel alarmed," the voice spoke again, ""I know this all must be quite sudden for you, but allow me to introduce myself."

A flash of white alighted on the sill of the open window, and everyone whirled around to face it.

There, sitting comfortable on the wood, was what Ash could only call a cat of some sort, but even that didn't seem correct. It's fur was white and smooth, with a pair of white, triangular cat ears perched upon it's head and an odd, almost secondary set of ears below that. The long tendrils framed it's round head and faded out from white to a soft shade of rose at the very tips, which just barely brushed the ground. A pair of large, golden rings hovered seemingly of their own accord around each one, glimmering in the overhead light of the fan and hinting towards a more supernatural nature. It's long, poofy tail twitched behind it, and it's maroon eyes gleamed with a thoughtful, intelligent spark as it calmly observed the people sitting in the room.

And everyone stared, wide-eyed, as that same, alien conscious brushed against their minds and spoke once more:

"My name is Kyubey."

* * *

OOH SHIT, SPAWN OF SATAN WHITE FERRET HAS RETUUUURNED!

Okay, I'll stop.

A little on the short side, I know, but this was a good place to break before new things started happening, trust me. I hope it's a satisfying conclusion for you all! ^.^

So, what'll happen now that Kyubey has stepped onto the scene? Tune in next to time to find out!

Rate and review, if you like. :)


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